A Sermon on Cain and Abel (Genesis 4)

Shared at a men’s ministry breakfast

I want us to have an honest conversation today.

Are y'all up for that?

Ok.

This morning, we're going to talk about a story as old as time - and as deep as the core of our hearts.

We're going to look at Genesis 4 today, the story of Cain and Abel. And I hope that God will show us new insights into this passage that we've never seen before. I'm counting on God to touch our hearts and change our lives today.

Let's pray.

When I was 24 years old, I lived in Binghampton, in Memphis.

If you've ever visited Memphis, you probably went to Midtown. That's where the good BBQ, jazz, and blues can be found.

Binghampton is right next to Midtown, but it was a completely different neighborhood.

It was struggling and disconnected from the economic and cultural opportunities of the city. It had been deeply affected by the scars of racism. To my surprise, pizza companies refused to deliver to my address. Until I lived there, I didn't know that was a thing.

I was in full-time campus ministry with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, serving students at my alma mater, Rhodes College, and students at an HBCU, LeMoyne-Owen College.

Between developing Bible studies, organizing weekly meetings, fund development, and mentoring students, I had a busy schedule. 

So, as I laced up my running shoes and hit the sidewalk, I started playing a sermon on my iPod.

To redeem every moment of the day meant that exercise had to have a dual purpose: to take care of my body and my soul. 

“Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

Unfortunately, I didn't finish my run that day.

I got seriously injured and had to limp home. 

The injury wasn't physical. It was spiritual.

But still, it hit me so hard I could barely walk.

The preacher asked a simple question: What are the core motivations of your heart?

Obviously, I was very religious.

I had fully committed myself to following Jesus.

I was trying to apply his teachings to where I lived, my job, my hobbies, and all of my relationships.

I knew WHAT I was: Religious.

But did I know WHY I was religious?

What MOTIVATED my religious activity?

As I listened to the sermon, I realized that my religious commitments helped me feel like God owed me something:

It was a simple formula: The more I did to serve God, the more God owed me.

So, in a sense, given how religious I was, I felt like a spiritual millionaire. 

When I'd left my run down, second-story duplex apartment in Binghampton, I'd felt spiritually rich. 

As I limped home, I felt not only bankrupt - but like I owed God a million dollars.

Because I could never control God.

I couldn't do a deal with God.

No.

God made me. God saved me. God loved me.

So I was in a place of total dependence upon God.

Here's how deep it went:

It felt like I'd lost everything.

To be quite transparent, I was counting on God's help so I could get married.

But realizing that I didn't have any leverage with God, I was discouraged.

If I couldn't count on my religious commitment to help me get married, then what did I have left?

I realized I wanted a good marriage more than I wanted wholehearted devotion to God.

And that's what we're going to talk about today: what do we really want?

I know this could be just another breakfast with bacon and eggs and grits.

Or it can be a turning point in your life. A decisive moment where you and I meet with God — and he changes our hearts.

What we're going to see in Genesis 4 today is a message that we all need.

I hope to encourage you today. But after this message, I want you to come and encourage me. And encourage each other.

These struggles are my struggles. They are our struggles.

And I hope that God will unite us as a church community to struggle with them together.

As we get into Genesis 4, let's ask ourselves this question: what's the core motivation of my life?

So, let's look at Genesis 4, verses 1-16.

To get to Genesis 4, open your Bible and turn it two, maybe three pages. And you're there. Ok?

Ok, so we're in Genesis 4. As you look at verses 1 and 2, you see that the story starts with hope.

Remember, right before this, in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve just got caught red-handed, received the curse, and were expelled from the Garden.

Angels guarded the gate with flaming swords.

Honestly, think about angels with flaming swords. It's pretty awesome.

But also, it was a terrifying experience.

Ok. So, this story in Genesis 4 has a happy beginning.

In Genesis 3, God promised that one day, one of Eve's offspring would defeat Satan. And here in Genesis 4, we see Eve has two strong sons.

Plus, both of them grow up and start successful careers: Abel is a shepherd. Cain is a farmer.

For the original audience, this is a dream family, everything you want.

So the story is off to a really exciting beginning! Are you feeling the excitement?

Eve doesn't just have one son, she has two! And they're doing well!

Next, we see in verses 3-4, it comes time for Cain and Abel to worship God. We don't know the details, but again, it's a note of encouragement.

I mean, right after Adam and Eve get expelled from the Garden, it's good news that their sons are connected to Yahweh.

Right after we learn about their careers, we see that they are going to worship God.

And they both make an offering to God that fits their vocations.

Abel is a shepherd, so he brings sheep. Cain is a farmer, so he brings produce.

But now we get a clue that everything is not okay.

In verse 4, we see that Abel brings the firstborn of his flocks - the very best.

And that shows us the problem with verse 3, where Cain only brings "some" of his produce.

Now, the expectation, in light of the rest of the Pentateuch, would be for Cain to bring the first fruits.

And in particular, we'd expect the firstborn son, Cain, to set the example for his younger brother, Abel.

If we've been reading the story from the start, we would have just read in Genesis 1-2 how God created everything.

The Bible teaches us that God owns the land - he owns everything. We are his stewards.

Imagine that someone owns a nice estate. And he hires you to take care of his property. You do your job, and the land yields a good harvest.

What do you bring to the owner of the estate?

The very best of the crops? Or your leftovers?

Here, in Genesis 4, the author makes it clear that Cain and Abel's gifts were not equal.

Because in verses 4-5, God evaluates their offerings.

For Abel, it's good job, I'm pleased, you brought me your best.

For Cain, the Lord indicates that the offering doesn't measure up. He was half-hearted.

But Cain can't handle the truth. We read in verse 5, "Cain was furious, and he looked despondent."

You might expect, that when Cain gets angry with God, he would be in big trouble.

Who gets angry with God?

But how does God actually respond? Look in verse 6.

What we see is the mercy and the care of God. God talks with Cain about his heart.

In verse 5, Cain is furious and despondent.

In verse 6, God says, Why are you furious and despondent?

God is creating an opportunity for Cain to evaluate his heart.

But look what's missing: a response from Cain!

If God speaks to you, wouldn't you say something in return?

God says, "Hey, let's talk about your heart!"

But incredibly, Cain walks away without saying anything at all!

Then, in the very next scene, in verse 8, Cain deceives his brother Abel. Cain invites Abel to come out into his field.

Once Cain lures Abel to a place where no one is watching, Cain murders his brother.

This is a shocking turn of events. No one saw this coming.

Imagine you have two sons. One is dead. The other is the murderer.

This is the worst possible development.

Perhaps Cain was jealous of Abel. He saw Abel was at peace with himself, wholehearted with God, enjoying God's favor.

And he hated his brother for being like that.

I think his mindset was something like this:

If God's not going to bless me, then no one else should get God's blessing either!

But the Scriptures show us that there is no hiding from God.

Even though Cain had murdered Abel in a field, with no one watching, God saw it.

And again, God gives Cain the opportunity to tell the truth, to repent, to reveal what is in his heart.

God asks, in verse 9, "Where is your brother Abel?"

Why does God ask this question? Does he not know the answer? No, of course not.

It's a very pointed question. The text makes it clear that God saw everything.

Remarkably, Cain lies. He says, "I don't know."

But of course he knows. He just buried Abel's body in his field!

Then Cain goes for a classic redirection. He asks, "Am I my brother's keeper? Do I need to know where he is?"

It reminds me of a famous Seinfeld scene with George Constanza. He gets confronted by his boss about an obvious ethical failure.

And George responds,

Was that wrong? Should I have not done that?

I tell you I gotta plead ignorance on this thing because if anyone had said anything to me at all when I first started here that that sort of thing was frowned upon, you know, cause I’ve worked in a lot of offices and I tell you people do that all the time.

It should be obvious that Cain is his brother's keeper.

Of course we are responsible for one another's welfare.

And Cain's attitude isn't just an ancient one.

In America, we think of ourselves as individuals. If someone is struggling, too bad. Hope they figure it out.

Cain says, "Am I my brother's keeper?"

And we say, "Every man for himself."

Are we like Cain?

But God is not fooled.

In verses 10-12, we see that God confronts Cain with his crime and pronounces his judgment.

From God's perspective, Abel's blood is crying out to him from the ground.

Whenever there is injustice in this world, God sees it.

The suffering of the vulnerable reach the heart of God.

The next time you hear a story about innocent people dying, think of this passage. The Bible tells us that their blood is crying out to God.

Then, in verse 11, God pronounces a curse on Cain: he will be a restless wanderer.

If God wanted to, he could have sentenced Cain to death. Eye for an eye. But God shows him some mercy. 

Cain has murdered Abel. Abel lost everything he has.

So instead of being rooted in one place, like a farmer is, Cain will be a restless wanderer.

Instead of family, Cain will be lonely and disconnected.

And instead of being in God's presence, he will be spiritually lost.

In his commentary, Kenneth Matthews explains that when we read that Cain goes to the Land of Nod, in verse 16, this is a play on words. Nod and wandering sounds alike.

So basically, the story ends with Cain, the restless wanderer, going to the Land of Wandering.

He has no connection to the land, no connection to his heart, no connection to his brother, and no connection to God.

Do you feel like a restless wanderer?

In 2005, after Tom Brady had won three Super Bowl rings, Steve Kroft had a sit-down interview with him on 60 Minutes.

Kroft asks, "This whole experience -- this whole upward trajectory -- what have you learned about yourself? What kind of an effect does it have on you?"

And Brady responds,

Well, I put incredible amounts of pressure on me. When you feel like you're ultimately responsible for everyone and everything, even though you have no control over it, and you still blame yourself if things don't go right -- I mean, there's a lot of pressure. A lot of times I think I get very frustrated and introverted, and there's times where I'm not the person that I want to be.

Why do I have three Super Bowl rings, and still think there's something greater out there for me?

I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, "Hey man, this is what it is." I reached my goal, my dream, my life.

Me, I think: God, it's gotta be more than this. I mean this can't be what it's all cracked up to be. I mean I've done it. I'm 27. And what else is there for me?

Kroft follows up: "What's the answer?"

And Brady says, "I wish I knew. I wish I knew."

Then Brady talks about the joy of playing football and good relationships. Those are important.

But I hear a restlessness in his spirit. He's not the person he wants to be. He's achieved everything, but it's not enough.

As best I know, no one here has won three Super Bowl rings.

But I think we can all identify with what Brady is saying:

1. I'm not the person that I want to be.

1. There's got to be more to life than this.

1. I wish I knew what the answer was.

In Genesis 4, Cain is an everyman. Like nearly everyone who first heard this story, they were all farmers or shepherds.

Cain represents the human condition without God.

• Are you giving God your best - or your leftovers?

• Are you talking to God about your heart - or walking away from him?

• Are you taking care of your neighbor's needs - or asking, "Am I my brother's keeper?"

• Are you a restless wanderer?

So what's the alternative?

This story is about God and Cain. Abel is an afterthought. We don't see him speak. He doesn't do much.

Seriously, Abel is like the black guy in a horror movie.

Yea, he got an acting gig. But the black guy is always the first one to die.

In these horror movies, black people aren't real characters. Their stories don't matter. They lack agency. Their lives are disposable.

It's sad to see that in a movie. Let's be real, it's a racist stereotype.

And how much worse is racism in real life?

Think of all the ways that human bodies are treated as disposable.

But here's the difference between horror movies and the Bible.

In the Bible, God is constantly blessing the people on the margins.

Cain disposes of Abel.

But God doesn’t.

Look at what we know about Abel.

• We're told his name

• Verse 4 tells us that the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering.

Yes, Abel's own brother lied to him and murdered him.

But in God's eyes, there's blessing and reward.

You might remember that in Hebrews 11, there's a commentary on this passage.

The author of Hebrews tells us,

By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.

Think about that.

Yes, we have Cain's words. They're infamous. "Am I my brother's keeper?"

In Genesis 4, there are no words from Abel. But that doesn't mean he's silenced!

Abel's faith is still speaking to us today!

Abel is still speaking to us today!

And he has more to say to us.

For instance, in Hebrews 12, the writer goes further. We read in Hebrews 12:24,

Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant, because of his sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel.

In the Bible, Abel represents every person who has suffered injustice.

In Genesis 4:10, God says to Cain, "your brother's blood is SPEAKING TO ME from the ground."

Collectively, the blood of innocent sufferers cries out to God.

Their blood says to God, "Will you bring us the justice that our brothers denied us?"

And God hears their cries.

Even if their voices are silenced by humans, the sound of their suffering reaches to heaven.

In the Bible, Abel represents every person who put their faith in God.

When our hearts trust in God, then God approves of us. He calls us righteous. He remembers our testimony.

And in the Bible, Abel points to a better sacrifice: the sacrifice of Jesus.

Cain lied to Abel. Judas kissed Jesus.

Cain murdered Abel. Judas betrayed Jesus.

The story of Cain and Abel continues throughout the Bible.

So, what is the cost of faith?

What is the cost of wholehearted worship?

Abel trusted God. He gave God his very best.

And what did he get in return? Did he get to bargain with God? Did he get all of his prayers answered?

Did he have a happy life with a wife and two kids?

No. He got murdered. The end.

And what about Jesus?

Jesus was fully God and fully man. He trusted God the Father. He lived by the power of God the Spirit. He lived a perfect life as God the Son.

And what did he get in return?

Homelessness. Poverty. Persecution. Hunger. Exhaustion.

Ultimately, betrayal, torture, and crucifixion.

He willingly pays the price for our sins.

So this isn’t an easy decision.

Let’s be real.

Maybe it's a tough call this morning.

Do you want to live for yourself, not help your neighbors, and be a restless wanderer?

Or will you be a person of faith, of wholehearted devotion to God?

Will you be your brother's keeper?

Even if it costs you your life?

As we transition to our table groups, let's review what we've seen in Genesis 4.

First, we need to search our hearts.

Ask yourself - What is the core motivation of your heart? What is going on in my heart?

Are we seeking God's kingdom first?

Or are we still holding back, giving God our leftovers rather than our best?

Be honest with yourself and with God.

He already knows the truth. It's pointless to hide from him.

But we saw in the text that God asks us questions designed to open our hearts to him.

God is merciful and kind. Experience his grace this morning.

Second, I invite you to surrender everything to God.

When we surrender to God, we're giving him our past regrets, our present anxieties, and our potential dreams.

We're saying, God, I want to be wholeheartedly yours.

It's not a bargain. It doesn't give us control.

It's a grateful response to God.

Jesus shed his blood for us. He is the mediator of a new covenant, a relationship with God based on his forgiveness of all our sins - and our participation in his mission.

This morning, make Jesus the Lord of every part of your life.

Finally, ask God what it means to live as your brother's keeper.

We stop asking, "Am I responsible for their suffering?"

Instead, we figure out, "How can I help and serve my neighbor?"

The Bible constantly talks about the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the immigrant.

It's called the quartet of the vulnerable. It would make a great Bible study, to see what God says about the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the immigrant. You'll have thousands of verses to read.

If we know that God loves us, and we love God, the what’s next?

We will love our neighbors.

It's another way of saying, yes, I am my brother's keeper.

Final thoughts:

So are you a restless wanderer?

Or a wholehearted worshipper?

A restless wanderer.... or wholehearted worshipper?

I want to give us a few moments of silence to connect with our hearts. And to connect with God.

Then I'll close in prayer, and we'll break into our table groups.

Please bow your heads in silence, and take a minute to honestly talk with God.

Close in Prayer

Table Q&A:

1. Restless Wanderer or Wholehearted Worshipper- which of these two positions do you feel more closely aligned with and why?

2. What are the risks (or rewards) of living from this position?

3. What kind of support would you need in order to participate more fully in God's mission?