Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

Our Heroes series is rolling on. We’re officially over halfway through this monster-sized summer series. When you think hero, you may think Spiderman, or Superman, or maybe you just saw The Dark Knight, so you think Batman.

We’re spending the summer talking about real life heroes. We’re going back to timeless stories of Old Testament heroes. God has been using these stories of his heroes to speak his truth into our lives.

Last week, God rocked us with the story of David & Goliath. David was the epitome of a hero for the Lord and God used his story to show us how to take down the giants in our lives.

Today, we’re going back to one of the oldest stories in the entire Bible. It’s a story about two brothers. One brother was the first hero in the Bible. At least that’s how I see it. The other was anything but a hero.

Today we’re going all the way back to Genesis 4 as we explore the story of Cain & Abel.

The story of Cain & Abel happened right after sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden. God had created a man and a woman, Adam & Eve. They lived in a paradise called Eden. God commanded them not to eat the fruit from one particular tree in the garden. They could eat from any other tree they wanted, but not this particular one. But they disobeyed and ate the fruit, which forever changed things here in our world. For the first time, sin had made its entrance into God’s creation. It sent our world on downward spiral that is still going on to this day.

As part of God’s curse after they sinned, Adam & Eve were banished from the Garden. That’s where we pick up the story of Cain & Abel.

Genesis 4, starting in the first verse. “Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.” Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.

The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let's go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.” (Genesis 4:1-8, NIV)

The first murder in the history of the world. And it was a man killing his own brother. Abel was a hero of God. Cain was anything but. As we dig deeper into the story, we’re going to see several points of contrast between Cain & Abel. And at each point, we get to choose which pattern we’ll follow in our own lives.

You can sum it all up with this: it’s not about me. It’s not about me. I want you to close your eyes. Everybody just close your eyes for a second. Nothing weird is going to happen. Just close your eyes. Now, in your mind, visualize yourself looking in a mirror. Can you see your reflection? Good. Now, I want you to look at that person in the mirror and say, “It’s not about you.” Say it out loud with me. “It’s not about you.” One more time. “It’s not about you.” Open your eyes.

This is the crux of the Cain & Abel story, and it really determines the pattern of our lives, too. Cain lived like it was all about him. Abel, even though he was the younger brother, was much more mature than Cain. Age doesn’t always equal maturity, does it? Abel knew that it wasn’t all about him, which is what made him a hero.

Today, we get to choose which will be the driving force in our lives.

Will it be selfishness or sacrifice?

Cain & Abel’s story begins with their occupations. Cain was a farmer, while Abel was a shepherd.

The Bible says, “In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.” (Genesis 4:3-4a, NIV)

The dichotomy between the two brothers is beginning to take shape. It begins with the offerings that they bring to God. They both brought offerings from their work. Cain was a farmer, so he brought produce that he had grown. Abel was a shepherd, so he brought lambs from his flock. But the difference isn’t found in what they offered to God, vegetables or animals.

Look again at the wording. Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.”

Fat portions were regarded as the very best portions. They were the choicest cuts of meat. If it were beef, we wouldn’t be talking about a Golden Corral steak. We’d be talking about a Jeff Ruby steak. It’s the best of the best.

Not only did Abel bring the fat portions, the best cuts, but he brought it from the firstborn of his flock. In other words, Abel gave God the first and the best.

Contrast that with Cain. What does the Bible say about him? It says he brought “some of the fruits of the soil.” The obvious implication is that Cain didn’t bring God the first and the best of his field. He brought some, thinking that “some” would be good enough for God.

How did God react to the offerings? The Bible says, “The LORD accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift.” (Genesis 4:4b-5a, NLT)

Now, let me point out something that I never noticed until this week. Did you noticed that God mentioned the giver before the gift? Look again. “The LORD accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift.”

God’s acceptance or rejection of the giver is mentioned before his acceptance or rejection of the gift. That’s because God values people more than anything we can give. We’re talking about a heart issue, not an issue of legalistic offerings. God is concerned about your heart.

Why did God accept Abel and his gift, while rejecting Cain and his gift? It was because of a heart attitude that manifested itself in either sacrifice or selfishness. God will honor and reward sacrifice. He will always reject selfishness. And for some of us, when you examine that truth in light of how we give to the Lord, that ought to scare the pants off us.

A lot of studies have been done on giving patterns in the American church. It is estimated that between 2-3% of Christians regularly tithe. A tithe means a tenth. Giving 10% of your income to God. The tithe has historically been the benchmark of giving for God’s people. And yet only 2-3% of American Christians tithe.

The story of Cain and Abel ought to rattle us out of our complacency toward giving. Cain brought “some” of his wealth to the Lord, thinking that God would just be pleased that he gave anything at all.

Abel gave God the best parts of his best animals. Abel understood the foundational principle regarding giving. God rewards sacrificial generosity. He honors those who give him the first and the best of their income.

Some of you are all bent out of shape that I’m talking about money. Seems like preachers are allowed to talk about almost anything except money. You’re offended that I’m getting in your kitchen regarding your money and your giving.

Can I make an observation? The only people who get angry when I talk about adultery are those who are involved in adultery. And the only ones who get angry when I talk about giving are people who are selfish.

Why do we make such a big deal about this? Because Jesus made a big deal about it. Money is one of the only tangible ways Jesus gave us to measure what is in a person’s heart.

He said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matthew 6:19-21, 24, NIV)

Did you catch that? Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. This is a whole lot bigger than money. It’s about your heart. It’s about giving sacrificially, knowing that it’s not about you. It’s all about giving God the first and the best.

On the flip side of that, materialism is the fastest growing cell in our hearts. Seriously, the more you have, the more difficult it is to give generously. The less inclined you are to sacrifice. Because money clouds our vision. It works its way into our heart. It eschews our values. Instead of valuing God, money tells you to value self. But Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, your heart will be also.”

In other words, if you were to look at my checkbook, you would know where my heart is. It really is that simple. Your money follows your heart. And if you’re not giving God the first and the best of your money, but you’re following the example of Cain…just giving him a little something that you had leftover, that is indicative of serious heart disease. God didn’t accept it from Cain. And God doesn’t change. I think we can figure out where that leads.

Instead, look at what the Bible says about Abel. His story is in the Old Testament book of Genesis. But his heroic generosity had a lasting impact. His legacy of sacrifice outlived him. Look at what the New Testament says about him.

“By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.” (Hebrews 11:4, NIV)

Did you catch the key word in the passage? Look again.

Three times, the writer of Hebrews emphasizes Abel’s faith. This is more than a money issue. It’s more than a “how much do you give” question. It is a question of our heart and it is a question of our faith. Abel valued God enough to give him the first and the best, and he had faith, trusting that God would take care of his needs. Believing that God would bless his life because of his sacrifice.

Some of you need to go home, open up the checkbook, look through the MasterCard statement, and make some serious changes. Today, you’ve already said, “It’s not about me.” Does your money tell a different story than your mouth? If it’s truly not about you, that will show up in your finances. Because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

We get to choose between selfishness or sacrifice. The story of Cain and Abel also highlights a choice between arrogance or repentance. God gave this choice directly to Cain, and we also have the same choice in our lives.

Let’s go back to the story. Picking it up in verse 4, the Bible says, “The LORD accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

“Why are you so angry?” the LORD asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected?

You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” (Genesis 4:4b-7, NLT)

God accepted Abel and his offering, while rejecting Cain and his offering. And Cain’s reaction to that was anger.

The Bible says God’s rejection of him and his offering made him “very angry.”

The old King James Version says, “And Cain was very wroth…” (Genesis 4:5b, KJV) Oh yeah. He was wroth.

Genesis was originally written in Hebrew, and the Hebrew literally says, “it burned with Cain exceedingly.”

Cain wasn’t just peeved. He was wracked with flaming anger. It burned in him, eating him from the inside out.

God sees this and says, “Now wait a minute. What’s this tantrum all about? Why are you so angry?”

Then in verse 7, God says to Cain, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” (Genesis 4:7, NIV)

I love the beautiful simplicity of God’s response to Cain’s anger. He accepted Abel because he did what was right but rejected Cain because he did what was wrong. But instead of punishing Cain, he offers grace. He extends a second chance, saying, “If you do what is right, don’t you think I’ll accept you just like Abel?” And then he gives him a direct warning about the path that he’s on, saying that sin is crouching, waiting to pounce on him and devour him.

Cain had a clear choice here. Arrogance or repentance. He got it wrong, but God gave him another chance to get it right. All he had to do was repent of his sin and he would be given another chance. But he had already devised a plan to kill Abel. And in Cain’s eyes, his plan seemed better than God’s plan.

The implication for us is exactly the same. We got it wrong. Can we just say that? Instead of putting on the pious, sanctimonious mask of religion, let’s just be honest.

The Bible says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23, NIV) All. Everyone. No exceptions. We got it wrong. But God is always willing to give us another chance to get it right. It’s called grace.

But repentance and arrogance cannot coexist. It really is an either/or. You can’t have both. Arrogance will not allow for repentance. Repentance completely decimates arrogance.

Cain was given a choice between repentance and arrogance. He chose arrogance. His plan was better than God’s, so he would go with that.

That same attitude of arrogance that ruined Cain’s life also has the power to ruin ours.

Some people are so arrogant that they will never come to repentance for the first time. They know that God is calling them to a relationship with him. They know that Jesus died to pay the price for their sin. And yet, they never give their life to Christ because they’re arrogant. To accept Christ would mean that they would have to admit their own sinfulness. They don’t want to do that.

To accept Christ would mean that they actually admit that they can’t do life by themselves. They don’t want to admit that.

To accept Christ would mean that they have to obey his commands and principles instead of doing things their own way. They don’t want to obey anybody but themselves.

Arrogance stands between them and Jesus. It simply will not allow them to come to repentance and faith in Christ.

If you’re in that boat, can I ask you something…do you really want your own arrogance to keep you separated from God? If that doesn’t work, let me be a little more blunt. Do you really want your own foolish pride to be the reason you spend eternity in hell?

But then there are others. Arrogance didn’t keep them from repentance initially. They joyfully gave their life to Christ years ago. But over the years, something strange has happened. They have developed a spiritual arrogance. If that sounds like an oxymoron, it is. But it happens in the lives of a lot of Christians.

They have been in the church for so many years, they have learned so much Bible, they pray like a well-oiled machine. But the result of that is something that is completely contrary to following Christ. The result is pride. They develop a spiritual arrogance.

They are so arrogant that they will not even allow themselves to be called out on their sin anymore. They know too much, they’ve been a Christian too long, or they are simply too good for that too happen.

But the Bible bluntly says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8, KJV)

According to this verse, if you haven’t been convicted of a sin in your life recently, you’re probably blinded by your arrogance. And if you don’t like me saying that, stop and think that maybe you just proved my point.

When you look at the life of Cain and you see what happens when someone chooses arrogance over repentance…it leads to a very, very ugly place which is illustrated in the last choice in our story.

It’s the choice of jealousy or responsibility.

God has just told Cain that he doesn’t have any right to be angry. He told him that a second chance was available if he would simply own up to the fact that he got it wrong. Then he would have another chance to get it right.

But instead of responsibility, Cain chose jealousy.

Look at Genesis 4:8. “Now Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let’s go out to the field.’ And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.” (Genesis 4:8, NIV)

What did Abel have to do with anything? Was it Abel’s fault that God rejected Cain and his offering? No. But instead of fixing what was broken in his own life, he acted in jealousy and took his anger out on his brother.

It’s easier to try to take down someone else instead of working on ourselves, isn’t it? We see a person getting something right that we’re getting wrong, and instead of fixing ourselves, it’s a lot easier to take shots at that person. It’s a lot easier to go on a scavenger hunt, trying to find something that we think is wrong in their lives instead of focusing our attention on what we know is broken inside of us. Instead of taking responsibility for our own life, we jealously try to take down someone else.

Listen to the Apostle John’s take on the Cain & Abel story. “Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.” (1 John 3:12, NIV)

Cain’s actions were evil. Abel’s actions were righteous. And Cain was consumed with jealousy because Abel succeeded where he failed. And so he carried out a premeditated plot and murdered his brother.

Well, that’s where the similarity between Cain and me stops. Maybe I’m jealous from time to time. And yeah, I’ve done and said some things against other people that were wrong. But I’m not a murderer. Fast-forward just three verses in 1 John 3.

“Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.” (1 John 3:15, NIV)

Jealousy leads to hatred. And God equates hatred to murder.

But it doesn’t have to go there. It doesn’t have to escalate to this. If Cain would have stopped and did a little inventory of his own life, if he would have taken responsibility for himself and owned up to his sin, the story could have had a radically different ending.

It’s too late for Cain, but it’s not too late for us. If your story is heading for a bad ending, you still have time to change it. Nothing is inevitable. The outcome is not written in stone. God gave Cain a second chance, and he extends the same offer to us.

Hebrews 12 reminds us that, “You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:24, NLT)

When Abel’s blood was shed, it cried out for vengeance. Cain had to be punished for what he had done.

But the blood of Jesus says something very different. His blood carries a message of forgiveness. A second chance. A fresh start. A new life.

Maybe in our story, you found yourself relating more the villain than the hero. You found more points of similarity with Cain than Abel. Maybe you’ve been choosing selfishness over sacrifice. Or arrogance over repentance. Or jealousy over responsibility.

The blood of Jesus says that there is forgiveness. There is a clean slate available for you. The end of your story is not a forgone conclusion. The blood of Jesus has the power to change anyone’s story.

If you have never given your life and your eternity to Christ, you can do it today. The change in your story can start today.

If you’ve been a Christian for a lot of years, but you’ve allowed yourself to fall into a Cain style pattern, the blood of Jesus allows a second chance for you, too. Jesus didn’t die just to give you one chance. It’s not one and done. His blood had the power to forgive you the first time, and it hasn’t lost any of that power today…no matter how many years and how many bad decisions have past.

Let your story change today.

Mike Edmisten

Tags: Heroes, Cain and Abel, Genesis 4, giving, jealousy, money, repentance, tithe