Greg Laurie - The Green-Eyed Monster (02/20/2018)

Pastor Greg Laurie examines Cain and Abel in Genesis 4, showing how jealousy and envy—the "green-eyed monster"—led Cain to murder his brother after God accepted Abel's offering but rejected Cain's. He warns that unchecked sin crouches like a beast, urging believers to master it through closeness to God, repentance, and rejecting the way of Cain for the way of Abel—faith-filled obedience.

The First Murder: Cain and Abel's Story Begins

Well tonight we are in Genesis chapter 4. Genesis 4 and the title of my message is "The Green Eyed Monster". Now I posted this on my Facebook page and people were like, what on earth are you talking about? And you are going to have to wait. I am going to reveal it about halfway into the message why I called it The Green Eyed Monster. You will understand soon. All will be disclosed.

Let's pray together. Father, we ask as we open your word that you would speak to our hearts. And Lord, we want to learn what it is to walk with you and we want to avoid the things that would keep us from walking with you. So as we look at this story now in the book of Genesis about Cain and Abel, we pray that you will help us to see how it applies to us. Speak to us from your word we would ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.

I was reading in the paper about a week ago about a man that was hitchhiking across the country. And the reason he was doing this is he was going to record it all and put it in a memoir that he was giving the title, Kindness of America to. The Kindness of America. He was going to tell about all of his adventures, hitchhiking, talking to wonderful strangers who were reaching out. The problem was he was shot in a drive-by attack while he was having lunch. Now he wasn't killed. He was wounded. But he thought a guy was coming to pick him up while he was grabbing a bite to eat. And the guy just randomly shot him and drove off. So much for the kindness of America.

You know, do you think that guy that shot him was Levi Lusko? Because it happened in Montana. Did I mention that? It happened in Montana. I am going to ask Levi. You didn't shoot some guy eating lunch, did you? But you know, it just goes to show that man is not basically good. When are we going to figure that out? If you believe that man is basically good, then you have more faith than I do. Because if history shows us nothing else, it shows us that man is basically bad. It has been said, history is a space in which Cain's axe ultimately became assault rifles, smart bombs, and thermonuclear weapons. End quote. And it is true.

Why is mankind the way that it is? Why do we do the things that we do? Why are we always fighting and warring and having conflict after conflict? Well, there is many answers that could be offered, but we will find the biblical and accurate answer in the text before us now as a part of this series that we are calling The Greatest Stories Ever Told.

From the Fall to the First Family's Tragedy

Now, in our last time together, we looked at Adam and Eve in the garden eating of the forbidden fruit. Now, it all started when Eve was at the wrong place at the wrong time, listening to the wrong voice, leading her to do the wrong thing. I don't know why people are perplexed by why they fall into sin when they hang around places where they are vulnerable. You know, let's say you are struggling with drinking. You know, you have a drinking problem. And you fell off the wagon, so to speak, the other day. And someone asked, well, where were you? I was at a bar. Why would you go hang out in a bar when you have a problem with this? Well, you know, they have a really great big screen there. It is a sports bar. And I really like to watch the game there. And they had the best buffalo wings ever. You know, what are you, an idiot or what? You are putting yourself in a place of vulnerability and then you are shocked when you fall.

And in the same way, this is what happened to Eve. She had access to all of the garden, to enjoy it, to discover it. And where is she? She is hanging around in the one place God tells her to stay away from. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She took of it, and bit of it, and ate of it. Genesis 3:6 says, "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate."

Really, if you look at this verse, it is a foundational statement about the origin of all temptation. Basically, as Christians, we have three enemies that we face on a daily basis. It is the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world, with its allure, is the external foe. The flesh, with its evil desires, is the internal foe. The devil, with its enticements, is the infernal foe. And the problem is that sometimes we become frenemies with the world. You have heard that expression, frenemies. It is when two people who are at odds with one another, for a time at least, become friends. Because maybe it serves a mutual purpose. Maybe the only thing they hate worse than each other is another person. So they have some kind of communication. They are frenemies. It is not real friendship at all.

And when you are a friend of the world, in effect, you have a frenemy. Now, what do I mean when I say the world? Do I mean the earth? Am I saying that it is wrong for a Christian to enjoy the glory of God's creation? No, not at all. When the Bible speaks of the world, and it does so frequently, it is speaking of a mentality. It is speaking of a culture. It is speaking of a system that is under the control of Satan, who is also described as the god of this world, who blinds the eyes of those that do not believe.

Here is the best definition of the world you are going to find from Scripture. 1 John 2:15-17: "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." So it all comes from within. We like to blame the devil for everything. The devil made me do it. Look. The devil can tempt you, but he needs cooperation. He needs to work with you, and you need to work with him.

The Three Enemies: World, Flesh, Devil

It reminds me of the story of the scorpion and the tortoise. As you know, scorpions can't really swim. So one day a scorpion wanted to cross a pond, and he saw a turtle sunning himself. A tortoise, rather. And so he walked up to him and said, "Hello, good fellow." I don't know why I gave the scorpion a British accent. I don't know. "I was wondering if you might give me a lift across the pond." And the tortoise said, "Are you kidding me? If I were to do that, then you would sting me. And we would drown." And the scorpion would respond, "Oh, my dear turtle. If I were to sting you, then we would both drown. What would be the logic in that, my good fellow?" "Oh, it's true," said the tortoise. "Hop on."

So they're cruising across the pond. The scorpion and the tortoise. And then the scorpion raises up a stinger, puts it in the turtle. Gives it everything he has. And the turtle realizes he's doomed. He's going to drown. And he turns back to the scorpion and says, "Oh, I thought you told me that there was no logic in stinging me. Why did you do it?" And the scorpion responds, "My dear turtle, it has nothing to do with logic. It's just my nature."

Now that's not a joke, you see. If you're thinking, that's not a good punchline. And by the way, it's also not a true story for some of you. Where do I get one of them turtles? No. It's a fable. It has a point. It has nothing to do with logic. It's just your nature. And that's why we do stupid things. Because aren't you amazed to see some people, the things that they will do. You know, they have a happy marriage. And God is blessing them and their family. And then the guy goes out, you know, has an affair. The wife does the same thing. Or some other crazy thing happens. You go, that's insane. Why would anyone do that? There's no logic in it. It has nothing to do with logic. It's just their nature.

So the faster we recognize that we have a sinful nature, the better off we will be. We love to blame the devil, but he needs our cooperation. So now, Adam and Eve's sin, but God draws a line in the sand. And in Genesis 3, he says to the serpent, "Because you've done this, you're cursed more than all cattle and more than every beast of the field. On your belly you will go, and you will eat dust all the days of your life, and I'll put enmity between you and the woman. And between your seed and her seed; he will bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

So here's the first messianic prophecy. The first prophecy that Messiah was coming. The first messianic prophecy is not Isaiah 9:6. Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. That's messianic scripture. It's not the first. Nor is it Micah 5:2. You Bethlehem, though you be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth a ruler whose origins have been from everlasting. Again, pointing to Christ, but it's not the first. The first messianic scripture is Genesis 3, where God says, Listen, one's coming. He's going to crush your head, but you're going to bruise his heel.

So the devil knew Messiah was coming. And the devil, a clever one, understood that Messiah would come as a Jewish man. So all of those attempts in scripture to eradicate the Jews, all of that anti-Semitism on display was because Satan wanted to stop Messiah from coming. Back in the book of Exodus, and we'll see this later, when Pharaoh gave the decree that all the Jewish boys should be put to death. Well, he was trying to stop Messiah from coming. Later on, when we get to the book of Esther, and we see the wicked plot of Haman that he hatched to eradicate all the Jews, sort of a precursor to Hitler's final solution, so-called. And Haman, of course, ended up hanging on the very gallows that he had erected for another.

Again, the devil's attempt to stop Messiah. Fast forward to the New Testament. Messiah has been born in Bethlehem, and news is sent to King Herod that the king of the Jews has come. He has all of those baby boys in Bethlehem put to death. Why? Because the devil's trying to stop Messiah. Finally, Messiah arrives, identifies himself, and Satan enters the heart of Judas Iscariot, who betrays our Lord, and Christ goes to the cross and dies for the sin of the world, and it blows up in Satan's face. Because the very thing he was working on fulfilled the plan and purpose of God for Messiah had come to be born and then to die, and then to rise again from the dead.

Cain and Abel: Offerings and Rejection

So now we come to the next movement in the story here in Genesis. And that is the story of the children of Adam and Eve. And I'm talking, of course, about Cain and Abel. You've heard the expression, raising Cain. This is where it came from. You're going to find out a little bit about this boy. Genesis chapter 4. "Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, 'I have acquired a man from the Lord.' Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell."

So the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." Now the book of Genesis can be divided into three sections. Chapters 1 and 2, generation. We see the creation of the heavens and the earth. Chapters 3 to 11, degeneration. That is what we are looking at here. Chapters 12 to 50, regeneration. In Genesis 3, we saw the beginning of sin in mankind. In chapter 4, now we see its progress and results. And we realize that it spreads quickly, and it is highly contagious.

Now things start, happily enough, Adam and Eve have their first child. Now understand, this is the first pregnancy. There has never been a birth. Adam and Eve were created. First Adam, and then from his side comes Eve. So there was no birth process, but now things are different. Adam is looking at Eve, and he is saying, girl, what are you eating? Pickles and ice cream. What is going on with you? They did not really understand what was happening. Well, she gives birth to this child. I was talking with a pastor friend of mine a while back. He talked about the great joy he had in performing the wedding for his daughter. And of course, he would be very nervous even though he has done many weddings. It is his own daughter.

So he wanted to say something profound and moving. So he was recounting her life. And before all the assembled guests in the wedding, he said to his daughter, "I was there at your conception." Well, he meant to say he was there for her birth. Now, he was there for her conception. But that is not generally what you say in a wedding. Of course, that is all anyone remembered from it. Well, Adam and Eve were present for both. And so she is pregnant. The day comes, and the first son comes, and they name him Cain. By the way, the name Cain means acquired. Acquired. In light of God's promises of a deliverer, remember we pointed out that the Lord said Messiah was coming, maybe Eve thought that this was the one. This phrase acquired, could also be translated, I've gotten him. So she was very excited. But he wasn't the Messiah. He wasn't the deliverer. He was going to turn out to be a murderer.

Now her second child is born. And she named him, verse two, Abel. Abel means frail. So this would suggest that the physical effects of sin were already becoming apparent in the human race. And so it would appear that Cain was strong. And he was the firstborn. And they always had the primary rights in the Jewish culture. And along comes Abel. And you know, he is not as strong as his brother. He is a little more frail. I mean that is kind of a drag to go through life with a name frail. Hey what is your name? Frail. But here is my brother. Acquired. Or here he is. Here I am. You know. So you probably get a little bit of a complex from the names alone. Give careful thought to what you name your kids. And it would appear also that Adam and Eve favored Cain over Abel by virtue of the very names that they gave. So this can be a problem. You know it is really hard when you have kids because you might favor one over another. And you have to avoid favoritism at all costs because it can produce problems that will carry on well into the adult years of your children.

As we look at the rest of the book of Genesis, we see this played out in the birth of Isaac. Abraham favored Isaac and Rebekah. His wife favored Jacob. And so we see conflicts developing as time goes forward. And then Jacob, ironically, he has his own issues. Excuse me, I should say Jacob and Esau. One was favored by the father. Isaac favored Esau. And then his mother favored Jacob. But excuse me, mother favored Jacob. I got it all turned around. Okay. Let's sort it out. Let's start over again. Favoritism. Okay. Mother Rebekah favored Jacob. And father Isaac favored Esau.

So that produced, get your theology right, a feud and a conflict that lasted for generations. And then ironically, when Jacob becomes a father, you think he would have learned from his own upbringing because he was not favored by his dad, he ends up favoring Joseph over his other sons. Giving him a special coat of many colors. You know, one thing you'll learn if you give stuff to your kids, give them all the same thing. You know, if I give a gift to one of my granddaughters, I get them all the same one. And I don't even vary it. Like if I give them dolls to one of my granddaughters, I get them all the same one. And I don't even vary it. Like if I give them dolls with different hair colors, they always fight for the other one. So all the dolls look. And so ironically, now Jacob favors his son. And that produces conflicts. And on the story goes. So it would appear that one was favored over the other. Cain was favored over his brother Abel. And this produced problems.

The Offerings: Faith vs. Self-Righteousness

The Green-Eyed Monster: Envy and Jealousy

Well, one day they come and bring their offerings. God accepted Abel's offering. The weakling's offering was accepted. While the superstar, here he is, his offering is rejected. Why? Cain's offering wasn't rejected because of his offering. His offering was rejected because of Cain. Verse 5 says, God did not respect Cain and his offering. So here we realize that you've got to do the right thing in the right way. Now why is it that one walked with God and one did not? Hard to say. Why is it in a Christian home you raise all your children in the same way and one goes on to serve the Lord and one becomes a lunatic? And you feel that you are a failure as a parent? Well look, this happens. And you can do the best you can do and train up a child in the way that they should go. But ultimately it is in the hands of God, especially when they enter into their adult years. But both of them were raised in the same godly home. But one turned out to be a false worshiper. The other turned out to be a true worshiper.

But why was one accepted over the other? Well the answer is found in Hebrews 11:4. "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks." You see the Bible tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. So as far as God is concerned, motive is everything. Motive is everything.

I heard the story of when Billy Graham and his wife Ruth were in church and an offering was received and he reached in his pocket and he meant to put in a five. But he was confused.

The five was in his other pocket and he put in a fifty. And he didn't want to give fifty dollars at church. And afterwards he said to his wife, I meant to put in a five, not a fifty. Well, at least I gave fifty dollars to the Lord. And his wife said, God is only going to give you credit for five. It is all about the why. Why? Why do we do what we do? Why do we pray? Why do we worship? Why do we give? God looks at the why. Because one day when I stand before the judgment seat of Christ, it will not be about quantity. It will be about quality. It won't be about how much I did as much as it will be about why I did what I did. Because the Bible says that we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and every man's work will be tried to see what sort it is. And what that means is God is looking at the motive of it all.

So you know I can come into a worship service and I can make a lot of noise and I can maybe draw a lot of attention to myself. And others will think I am like super worshiper. But in reality it may all be about me. I might even be thinking, look at me. I am super worshiper. You know you even have a cape. With a big S. And you are saying, I look so good and I am so into this. Yeah, you know what? God may be looking at that person over there that isn't hardly even raising their voice but their heart is totally turned toward God. So this was the problem. You know Cain was full of himself. There was no faith in the gift he was bringing to the Lord. So problems were developing. So God accepts the offering of Abel but he does not accept the offering of Cain. And this ticks Cain off.

Verse 5. And you can see that Cain is getting angry. Cain was angry. And his countenance fell. He was burning with anger. So God could see where this was headed. And he lovingly reaches out to Cain with this question. Verse 6. "Why are you so angry? And why has your countenance fallen?" It is, you know, hey buddy, what is up here? Problem developing. What are you so upset about? Why are you so angry? His true colors were beginning to show. He is trying to draw them out. Here is what Cain should have said. I am angry because you accepted my brother's offering and not mine. And it is not fair. That is what it was. And I am proud and I am jealous and I am envious. If he would have just said that it would have been the truth. But interestingly, Cain does not respond to God. He evades. So God gives him a stern warning to verse 7. "If you do well, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."

Sin lies at your door. A better translation is sin is crouching at your door. In Chinese it is crouching sin, hidden danger. No it is not. It sounds like a movie title. One of those martial arts films. So here is what God is saying. Look, sin is lying at your door like a crouching beast. And unto you is sin's desire. But you need to rule over it. But clearly he was not doing well at this point. Buddy, listen. You are flirting with disaster. You better throw the brakes on, because sin is like a wild beast, and it is ready to pounce. I read an interesting book a number of years ago called Death in the Long Grass. It was written by a big game hunter. It tells the incredible stories of not just hunting lions, but a particular time when lions were hunting people.

There was a certain group of lions that got a taste for human blood. And they would come into the camps at night, and they would step over several men without waking them and find their intended prey. They could never figure out why the lions chose who they chose. But they would pick these people up, kill them immediately, and then drag them out and not wake up a single person. And this book pointed out that one large cat in particular killed over a hundred people. And they also mention in the book that a charging lion can cover a hundred yards in just three seconds. And it is just an amazing illustration of what the devil is like. I mean, a lion is a magnificent, powerful, and very frightening creature. If you have ever been close to one, you know what I am talking about. They have the capability to take you out rapidly if they want to. And the Bible likens the devil to a lion. 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

The devil is always looking for trouble. In the book of Job, chapter 1, verse 7, we have an interesting story of the angels presenting themselves before God. And Satan is among them. And the Lord asks Satan the question, Well, where have you been? And the devil responds, Oh, I have been going back and forth across the earth watching everything that is going on. That is so creepy, isn't it? It is just, you know, going back and forth like a lion in its cage. What kind of trouble can I make? What habit can I wreck? What life can I ruin? What fool is going to play my game? Let's see. Because there is always someone.

You know, you ever watch those nature shows, and there is, you know, the zebras or the antelopes, you know, moving together, and the lions chasing them, and they are all running? Who gets caught? It is always that lagger, right? The one that is about 10 feet behind the other. Which way did he go? Boom. Party over. He is drug off. And it is usually that way in life, too. The person that breaks off from other believers in fellowship, you put yourself in a place of vulnerability. I meet people all the time that tell me where they used to go to church. Because they know I am a preacher. So they immediately say things like that. Oh, Greg, how are you? Yeah, we used to go here on Monday nights at Calvary. What, like 20 years ago? Yeah! It is kind of a long time ago. Where do you go to church now? Well, we go over here. You know, say whatever you want, I mean. But people are often out of fellowship. And they are vulnerable when they are out of fellowship.

I will tell you another way you can put yourself in a state of vulnerability. And that is dating a non-believer. Because that is one of the biggest traps the devil has out there. You know, some guy asks you out. Some girl asks you out. You know, when trouble starts. You know, some non-believer asks you out. Say, I will go out with you Thursday night at harvest. And better yet, don't get in their car. Because they will have car trouble. If they drive it will go like this. Okay, I will pick you up. What time does it start? Starts at 7. Okay, I will pick you up at 6. 6. Oh, sorry. I was late. Oh, our reservation to eat is at 6:30. Oh, whoops. We missed it. He went, No, no, no. You say, I will meet you at church.

Now listen. That guy is interested in you. I will meet you at church. You know, we sit over on this side or over here. And afterwards we will grab a cup of coffee. At church. Because what are you doing? You are using that as an opportunity to be a witness to him. But at the same time, if that guy has other intentions, and maybe he is playing the God card and saying he believes, you will find out real quickly if he shows up or not. But I tell you, people put their self on vulnerability when they do that. Another way you can give the devil a foothold is by being angry with people.

Listen to this warning in Ephesians 4:26-27. "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil." You see, sin is crouching at your door too. And for some, it is already across the threshold. Now what that particular sin is may vary from person to person. One person is not necessarily weak in the same area that another person is. So we have to be careful. We have to keep our guard up. And when Satan knocks at my door, I say, Jesus, would you mind getting that? Because I am no match for the devil. Oh, but you are a preacher. So I am no match for the devil. I need Jesus to give me the strength. I need to stay as close to the Lord as I possibly can.

You know, in Ephesians 6, a lot is said about the various pieces of armor we are to wear in this spiritual battle. The helmet of salvation. The breastplate of righteousness. The shield of faith. Having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. But before any of that is said, we are told in Ephesians 6:10, "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." So what did it say? Hey, even before you put your armor on, realize you need to stay as close to the Lord as you possibly can. If we will master sin, we must first be mastered by Him who mastered it. Surrender ourselves to God. But Cain did not do that. He was not mastered by God. So now he will become enslaved by the devil. And we see sin mastering Cain in many ways.

We don't know exactly what caused him to murder his brother. But I think it is safe to say envy and jealousy played a part. You see, Cain jealously watched his brother's sacrifice accepted. Shakespeare called envy the green-eyed monster. Hence the title of the message. Oh, I thought you were going to talk about monsters. I am. The green-eyed monster of envy that can strangle you. You know, interestingly, envy is not to just admire something. Sometimes to say, Oh, I envy you. You are going on vacation. You know. We do not necessarily mean that in the worst sense of the word. It is not a bad thing to admire something that someone else has, or a relationship. Envy is to be angry when someone else has something that you do not have. Actually, a literal definition of envy is a malignant or hostile feeling. So it is not just, Hey, man, you have a lot. Wow, that is really great. Wish I had that. No, it is more like, I am actually angry with you that you have those things, and I do not have them.

We do not necessarily envy someone that we perceive as greater than us. I mean, you probably do not get up in the morning and go, I hate Bill Gates. Because he created Microsoft. No, because you are an Apple person. No. Now, you know, because he is so wealthy. And I do not have his wealth. No, no, you do not envy him, because you will never rise to the level of a Bill Gates. So you do not get up if you are a musician and say, I hate Eric Clapton. Such an awesome guitar player and I will never be as good. No, you know you will never be as good. No, you do not envy people like that. We tend to envy those we think of as equals. Aristotle said, quote, "envy grows naturally in a relationship between equals," end quote. Envy has been defined as a small town sin. It breathes on proximity. See, so we do not envy someone that is huge and successful. We envy our neighbor. We envy a brother, a sister, a co-worker. Someone that has worked at the job as long as we work. And they get the promotion and we do not. I hate that.

Listen to this. Sometimes even preachers envy. Trust me. You know, when preachers get together. You know, two men get together and, well let us start with women. Two women get together. The question is, are you married? Yes I am. Do you have kids? Those are girls talking. Two men get together. Here is the question. So what do you do? Oh really? And here is really what the guy wants to know. How successful are you? You know. We are like two dogs sizing each other up. Are you more successful than me? And two pastors meet each other. Hey bro, praise the Lord. Lord. We have to have a little religious rhetoric. Where is your church? Here is what we really want to ask. How big is it? People are people. But listen, envy unchecked can be a major problem. Envy in the case of Abel led to, in the case of Cain I should say, led to the murder of his brother Abel.

I heard the story of a crab fisherman who never needed a top for the basket he carried his crabs in. Someone asked him, well how is it you don't need a top? Don't the crabs crawl out? He says, oh not a problem. The moment one crab crawls out, the others reach up and pull them back down in. Funny. We can be that way too. Hey, we are fine as long as we are all equal. We are all on the same playing field. But if one begins to succeed, if one gets opportunity we think we should have gone, if one has something wonderful happen for them, we want to pull them back down again. That is what happened to Cain. Victor Hugo said, "the wicked envy and hate. It is their way of admiring." It has also been said, "envy shoots at another and wounds itself." You want to be a miserable person. Be an envious person. Be a jealous person. And you will give a foothold to the devil as Cain did. And you will face repercussions.

The Way of Cain: Warnings for Today

Now let us see what happened to Cain. He was warned of what would happen. But he did not listen. Genesis 4:8. "Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Where is Abel your brother?' He said, 'I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?' And He said, 'What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.' And Cain said to the Lord, 'My punishment is greater than I can bear! Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.' And the Lord said to him, 'Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.' And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him. Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden."

So God has a question for Cain. Verse 9. "Where is your brother?" Cain bitterly responds, "How am I supposed to know? Am I my brother's keeper?" This is the first blatant lie and the first human question in the Bible. The lie was Cain's denial that he knew his brother's whereabouts. He knew perfectly well. But, of course, he had been mastered by sin at this point. And he not only lies, but he lies to God. And more to the point, he lies to God's face. God is somehow communicating directly with Cain. He is talking to the Lord himself. And he is lying to God. How am I supposed to know? He knew where he was. God says, What are you talking about? I hear your brother's blood crying from the ground.

And so here is Cain just committing this amazing sin. And then effectively blaming it on his brother. Hey, am I my brother's keeper? Effectively suggesting, Hey, maybe he deserved it. Maybe it is his own fault. And now God puts his curse on Cain in verses 11 to 12, telling him he will be a vagabond and a fugitive. But Cain protests and says, Oh, this is more than I can handle. My punishment is more than I can bear. But I want you to notice something about Cain. He never repented of his sins. He only expressed remorse and regret, but no repentance. We often confuse the two. Remorse is being sorry for the consequences of your sin. Repentance is being sorry enough to stop it.

The Bible says, "Godly sorrow produces repentance." So let's say you go out and break the law. You know, you go out and you drink and you drive and you get pulled over for a DUI. You are so sorry. Why are you sorry? That I got caught. You know why I can tell you are not really sorry? Because you go out and do it again. See, but if you are really sorry, you would never do it again. And you would learn your lesson. And you would repent of that sin. But the problem is, we are sorry when we face consequences. We are sorry because now I have to face the music, so to speak. And that was the case with Cain. And that is the case with a lot of people. And the Bible actually warns us about the way of Cain. Jude 1:11 says, "Woe to them, for they have gone in the way of Cain."

What is the way of Cain? We are going to close with this now. You might want to jot these points down. Because we don't want to go in the way of Cain, that the Bible warns us of. The way of Cain is to worship God with impure motives. Remember, Cain brought his offering, but he didn't bring it in faith. And as I already pointed out, it doesn't matter how great your gift may be, if your heart is wrong, it is going to mean nothing. Number two, the way of Cain is to have a heart and life that is filled with jealousy, envy, and hatred. Listen, there is always going to be people that will do better than you. There is always going to be someone, girl, prettier than you. Deal with it.

Guy, there is always going to be someone more successful than you. Accept it. There is always going to be someone more intelligent than you. You can't be the top dog. Sorry. So are you going to just go through life frustrated and filled with jealousy and envy? Or are you going to say, God, look, everything that I have is a gift from you anyway, and I want to thank you for it. And I don't want to destroy my life through envy and jealousy. Because I recognize those things are actually sins before you. And if left undealt with, they can actually become deadly as they were in the case of Cain and Abel.

And number three, the way of Cain is to lie to God about what you have done. Listen, there is only one way to deal with sin and God. And that is to tell the truth. Because God knows anyway. God knows. He knew what Cain was about to do. He warned him. He said, Listen, man, you've got to get control of this. Sin is like a crouching beast ready to pounce on you. You've got to master it, man. Don't be vulnerable. Oh, yeah. Well, I don't have to listen to you. And he went off and did what he thought he should do. And sin pounced on him and consumed him and mastered him just as God said it would. And it is the same for all of us as well.

Invitation: Choose the Way of Abel Today

So maybe God speaks to us. And I hope we'll listen. You know, sometimes God will speak to us as we just open up the Bible and a verse will jump off the page. Sometimes God will speak through a preacher. Maybe he's speaking to you through me tonight. I'll tell you one thing. A lot of times when I prep a message, I have certain ideas I've written down. But there are thoughts that come and things that I say that were not prepared remarks. And I believe the Lord gives me those things for people that are listening to the message. And amazingly, I don't know how God sorts us all out, but to people that will hear the message later on the radio somewhere or on our television program. Someone will hear a message I gave a year ago and it will speak to them.

So look, it comes down to this. God's word will not return void. I have confidence in it. But the Lord will speak through a preacher. And the Lord will speak through a friend. He's speaking through a person to you. I hope you're listening. Because the way of Cain can lead to the curse that came upon Cain. Don't walk in that way. Instead, walk in the way of Abel. Hebrews 11:4 says, "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks." In the words of the great theologian, Stephen Tyler, walk this way. In the way of Cain. Not in the way of Cain. In the way of Abel. Not in the way of Cain. The way of Cain leads to death. The way of Cain leads to misery. The way of Cain leads to a curse. The way of Abel leads to blessing. That is the way that we want.

And in closing, maybe there are some of you that are walking away from God. Maybe you have been giving a foothold to the devil. Maybe you have an area in your life where you know you are vulnerable right now. And you have even begun to stumble and fall in that area. And think of this as a warning from your loving Heavenly Father. He is saying, listen, I am warning you because I care about you. Don't do that. Sin is crouching at your door waiting to pounce. Don't play games with it. Don't think you are so strong you can overcome it on your own because you can't. But stay as close to the Lord as you possibly can. You know one of the things that concerns me is when people will ask questions like this.

Can you still be a Christian and do _____ (fill in blank here)? Can you do this and still be technically saved? If someone lives this way, will God still accept them into heaven? That question bothers me. Because effectively I am saying, how far can I go and still be saved? When the real question ought to be, since I am saved, how close can I get to the Lord? Don't be on the edge. Be as close to the Lord as you can be. Don't be skating on the thin ice. Stay close to the Lord and fellowship with Him.

Maybe some of you are not doing that. Well listen, here is the good news. God forgives. If Cain would have admitted his sin, God would have forgiven him. But he wouldn't even admit he had done anything wrong. He wouldn't come clean. Cain, his parents, Adam and Eve, at first they blamed others. But ultimately they admitted they had sinned. Did you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? I told you not to eat of. Yeah, yeah, we did. Okay. But Cain lied to God. He wouldn't even admit that he had sinned.

So it was even worse, you see. And don't lie because you can't fool God. God knows the truth. Just tell Him the truth. I have done this. I am sorry. I am wrong. And I turn from it. And God will forgive you. And He will give you a second chance. And if necessary, a third one. And if necessary, a fifth one. He is a God of mercy and forgiveness. But you must admit your sin and turn from it and come to Him. And if you have not done that yet, do it now. Because 2,000 years ago Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sin. And He paid the price for you. And He absorbed God's wrath in your place. And He Rose again from the dead. And He will forgive you if you have turned from your sin and put your faith in Him right now.

Let's pray. Father, I pray for any that have joined us now who may not yet know you. Lord, would you help them to see their need for you. And help them to come to you and receive your forgiveness this night, we would ask. Now while our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we are praying together, how many of you would say tonight, Greg, I am not really sure if I am a Christian. I do not know with certainty that I would go to heaven if I were to die. But I want to go to heaven. I want my sin forgiven. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life. Pray for me.

If that's your desire, if you want Christ to come into your life, if you want Him to forgive you of your sin, would you raise your hand up right now wherever you are sitting. And I would like to pray for you. Just raise your hand if you want Christ to come into your life. God bless you. You want His forgiveness. Let me pray for you. Raise your hand up. God bless you. And God bless you. Anybody else? God bless you too. There in the back. God bless you as well. You want His pardon. You want to be ready for His return. You want Jesus to come into your life. Raise your hand up. I'll pray for you right now, wherever you're sitting. God bless you. God bless you as well.

If you haven't raised your hand yet, lift it now. Let me pray for you now. Lift it up. God bless you. Well, our heads are still bowed. Maybe some of you would say, hey, I've fallen away from the Lord. I've been playing around with sin. It's gotten a foothold in my life. But I've heard the Lord tonight. And I'm ready to turn from that sin and recommit my life to Jesus. If that's your desire, why don't you raise your hand up right now. And let me pray for you. If you need to come back to Christ, God bless you. And God bless you. Anybody else? Lift your hand up. Let me pray for you. God bless you. Father, I thank you for each one of these. And we know you love them. And that they are precious in your sight. Help them now to come and receive your forgiveness. And all that you have for them. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Listen, everyone that Jesus calls, He calls openly and publicly. And in a moment, our group is going to lead us in a song of invitation. And I'm going to ask if you raise your hand with me during that last moment of prayer, saying that you want Christ to come in your life, you would walk forward when the song begins. Now, why do I ask you to walk forward and stand up here? Because Jesus said, If you will acknowledge me before people, I will acknowledge you before my Father and the angels in heaven. But He added, If you deny me before people, I'll deny you before the Father and the angels. So this is a way to acknowledge Him publicly. Maybe you did not raise your hand, but you want to make this commitment or recommitment to Jesus. You get up and come as well. So again, if you raise your hand, even if you did not. But you want Jesus Christ to come into your life. You want your sin forgiven. You want to go to heaven when you die. Get up and come. Come on.

Reflection & Discussion Questions

Q: Why did God accept Abel's offering but reject Cain's in Genesis 4?

A: Pastor Greg explains it was about motive and faith. Abel offered by faith with a right heart, while Cain's offering lacked faith and came from pride. Hebrews 11:4 says Abel's sacrifice was excellent because of faith. God looks at why we worship and give, not just what we do.

Q: What is the "green-eyed monster" and how did it affect Cain?

A: Greg calls envy the green-eyed monster—anger when others have what we want. Cain envied Abel's accepted offering, leading to jealousy, hatred, and murder. Unchecked envy gives Satan a foothold, destroys relationships, and brings misery and consequences.

Q: What warning did God give Cain, and why is it important today?

A: God warned Cain that sin was crouching at his door like a beast, desiring to master him, but he must rule over it. Greg stresses we face the same—sin masters us unless we stay close to God. Temptation often follows blessing or leisure; vigilance and closeness to Christ are essential.

Q: What is the "way of Cain" that Jude warns against?

A: The way of Cain includes impure motives in worship, jealousy/envy/hatred toward others' success, and lying to God about sin. Greg urges avoiding this path of self-centered religion and embracing Abel's way—faith-filled obedience that pleases God and brings blessing.

Q: How does the story of Cain and Abel show sin's progression?

A: Sin starts small (envy over offerings) but progresses to murder when unchecked. Greg notes it spreads quickly and contagiously from Adam/Eve. Recognizing our sinful nature helps us avoid blame-shifting and seek God's mastery over sin through repentance and closeness to Him.

Q: What hope does this story offer despite Cain's failure?

A: God warned Cain and offered a chance to repent. Though Cain refused, God shows mercy to the repentant. Greg emphasizes God forgives when we confess truthfully, giving second chances. Choose Abel's way of faith to avoid Cain's curse and experience blessing.