Turn with me back to Genesis
4. Genesis chapter 4. Our God made Adam and then he made
Eve. And they both sinned against
him. They both sinned against him.
They laid hold on the law. That's what they did in the Garden
of Eden. They laid hold on their own works
when they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
That's what they did. And at that moment, both of them fell
under the curse of sin. And in chapter 3, verse 17, unto
Adam, The Lord said, Because thou hast
hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree
of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, cursed
is the ground for thy sake. In sorrow shalt thou eat of it
all the days of thy life. And to Eve the Lord said in verse
16, Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and
thy conception. In sorrow thou shalt bring forth
children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall
rule over thee." But in verse 15, he promised her a seed of redemption. That's what he promised. He told
Satan in verse 15, I will put enmity between thee and the woman
and between thy seed and her seed, the woman's seed, and it
shall bruise thy head. It's going to crush your head
and thou shalt bruise his heel. A man is coming. of the seed
of woman. Unto us, a child is born. Unto us, a son is given. And he's going to restore everything
that Adam lost. Every single thing. And I can't
wait. I can't wait. Chapter 4 verse
1 says, And Adam knew Eve, his wife,
and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man
from the Lord. She probably thought, this is
the promised seed. There he is. This is the way of redemption
right here. Most people believe that their
own works will produce the way of redemption. That's what most people believe.
That's what every person believes until the God of truth opens
up the word of truth and reveals the truth to a sinner. They think their works, their
own works are going to give them the way of redemption. They won't.
They won't. Verse 2 says, And she again bare
his brother Abel, and Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was
a tiller of the ground. You know, the sheep never had
to be kept before. Never had to be kept before. They were fine before. The lion
ate with the lamb before. But sin ruined everything. It just ruined it. And it became a vicious, bloodthirsty
world. Verse 3 says, And in process
of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of
the ground an offering unto the Lord. Is that not what our Lord
said to do in His law? Our Lord said to do that in His
law. He said, you bring me a tenth of all that you have. Every single
thing that you have, he said, the seed of the land. The fruit
of the tree. It's the Lord's. Bring that fruit. Verse three says, and in process
of time, it came to pass that cane brought of the fruit of
the ground and offering unto the Lord. And Abel he also brought
of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the
Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering, but unto Cain
and to his offering he had not respect." God was not pleased
with Cain's work. That word respect means to consider,
to be compassionate towards. He didn't even consider it. He
brought this work and God didn't even consider it. He was not
compassionate towards it at all. Well, then are we not supposed
to give the fruit of our labor unto the Lord? Yes, we are. We must give our first fruits
unto him. That's his commandment. but not
at the altar of sacrifice as a payment for sin. Never there. So many people are going to get
to the end of this life and they're going to bring an offering as
a sacrifice for their sin. And God will not have compassion
on it. He's not even going to consider
it. We should never, ever, ever bring
our works to the Lord as an offering for sin. Only a lamb can do that. Only a lamb can do that. Men and women are in churches
everywhere plowing their ground. planting their seed, watering
their seed, growing their fruit. That song says, I'm working on
a building. That's what men and women are
doing. So that when it's all done, they
can gather up the fruit of their labor and present it to God and
be accepted by Him. And they are going to be shocked
when they get the same response Cain got. Going to be shocked. Only a lamb can give a man or
a woman acceptance with God. Only a lamb can give a man or
a woman acceptance with God. Only a lamb. Only a lamb. Only a lamb. Man, I wish the
world could hear this. I really do. God tells us that
in Genesis 4. He told us that in Genesis 3.
He said it in Genesis 2. And He said it in Genesis 1.
He began His book. saying only a lamb can do that. But men and women everywhere
are still trying to do this and not do that to find favor with God when he's
plainly said only a lamb can do that. Cain was trying as hard as he
could to obey God's law. You know that? I believe he came
with sincerity of heart So are men and women in the churches
today. They're trying as hard as they can to obey God's law
with sincerity of heart. Sincerity of heart. I mean, they
mean it. They mean it. But I want to show you something.
Go with me over to Galatians chapter three. Galatians 3, look at verse 10. For as many as are of the works
of the law are under the curse. For it is written, cursed is
everyone that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified
by the law in the sight of God, it is evident. For the just shall
live by faith. By faith. Faith in what? A lamb. A lamb. Verse 12 says, And the law is
not of faith, but the man that doeth them shall live in them. The law is not of faith. He's
saying if you make that bed, you're going to have to sleep
in it. You take that law upon yourself. You lay hold of that
fruit, and you have to obey every single law. If you miss it in
one point, you've broken the whole law. But verse 13 says,
Christ, our Lamb, We're not just talking about
any lamb here. Don't just put a fence in your yard and go down
and buy a lamb. It's not possible that the blood
of bulls and goats should take away sins. It's not possible.
Christ, our Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law. Christ redeemed us. How? He did it on that altar. He suffered God's fire on that
altar. Verse 13 says, being made a curse
for us, for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a
tree. Christ, he was slain. Only a
lamb can do that. Go back with me over to Genesis
chapter 4. Verse 1 says, And Adam knew Eve his wife, and
she conceived and bare Cain. The name Cain means gotten. It means acquired. That's man's
works. That's what it is. That's what it is. People say
things like this, I got saved. Not me. Not me. I didn't do anything
in salvation. Nothing. The song says, not have I gotten
It's what I received. It's what I received. God sent Adam and Eve out of
the garden and the very first thing they produced was works. Works. Verse one says, and Adam
knew Eve, his wife, and she conceived and bear Cain and said, I have
gotten. I did this. That's religion. That's religion. That's arrogant religion. Religion
does not give Jesus Christ the glory. How do I know if I'm in
religion? How can I tell if I'm sitting
under a man who's not telling me the truth? How can I tell if I'm only sitting
in religion? Religion does not give the glory
to Jesus Christ. It just doesn't give the glory
to Jesus Christ. Well, verse 2 says, after that they had Abel. And the name Abel means emptiness. It means vanity, unsatisfactory,
led astray. All they could do was produce
works And those works were worthless, just worthless. Everything they
could produce, it was worthless. Everything was fruitful before.
Everything they touched, everything they did, it was fruitful. But
now because of sin, everything is empty. It's just vanity. You
know, my mind has always kind of glorified Abel. Just a little bit, you know,
Cain, he did everything bad, but Abel, now buddy Abel, he
did it right. The truth of the matter is according
to the word of God, Abel was nothing but emptiness, unsatisfactory
and unworthy. Do you know what that worthless
sinner's only hope was? The same thing this worthless
sinner's only hope is. That lamb. The lamb. Verse 3 says, In process of time
it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an
offering unto the Lord, and Abel he also brought of the firstlings
of his flock, and the fat thereof, and the Lord had respect. The Lord considered. The Lord
was compassionate towards Abel and his offering. What can wash
away my sins? Nothing but the blood of that
lamb. That's it. Only the lamb can
do that. What makes us accepted in the
beloved? That's what we want at the end
of this whole thing. I want to be accepted in the
beloved. Only the lamb can do that. There
is one way. It is so straight. It is so narrow. Only the lamb can do that. No
other way. No other found. I know. Go with me over to John chapter
one. John 1, verse 29. The next day John seeth Jesus
coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world. If salvation is what you need,
Then stop looking to your own works and look to the Lamb of
God. For he alone is able to save
you. Look to the Lamb of God. That
is the gospel message that saves. You know that? I know that for
a fact. That's what saved me. And that is the only gospel message
that saves, but sadly that is the gospel message that men and
women hate. They hate that. Turn with me
over to Luke 4. Luke chapter 4, look at verse
18. Our Lord Himself stood up and
told the people, He said, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted. to preach deliverance to the
captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty
them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. How glorious is that? Now look
at verse 28. And all they in the synagogue,
when they heard these things, were filled with wrath. and rose up and thrust him out
of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon
their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong."
Why? Why? Why? The reason is because this sinful
flesh wants all the glory. Don't tell me that I have no
part in salvation. Don't tell me that it does not
matter what I do or don't do. The pride of this flesh says,
I will not have that man reign over me. Not going to do it. Back over in Genesis chapter
4. Verse 4 says, And Abel he also
brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto
Abel and to his offering. But unto Cain and to his offering
he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and
his countenance fell. He got angry. He got angry. You tell men and women the truth
and they get angry. My heart breaks. It really does. They get angry. Who art thou
that replies against God? That's the problem for this world. They're angry at God. They don't
know and they will not admit it, but they're angry at God.
They're angry at His Word. I don't want to hear that. I do not like that. Just quote the Word. Can't we
change that just a little bit? We don't use that Word anymore. Verse 6, the Lord said unto Cain,
Why art thou wroth? Why is thou countenance fallen?
If thou doest well, that means right. If you do right, shalt
thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin
lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire,
and thou shalt rule over him. What is right? Well, it's not
what Cain did. What is right? The answer is plead Christ alone
and don't lift a finger for salvation. That's the answer. Plead Christ
alone and do not lift a finger for salvation, for redemption.
Verse 7, he said, If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin
lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire,
and thou shalt rule over him. He's saying sin is going to desire
you that it may sift you as wheat. And you're going to want it.
You're going to lay hold on it. You're going to use it against
your brother. Verse 8 says, And 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
slew him. Killed him. Killed his own brother
because he was angry at God. Hated God. How thankful are you
for grace? Did you know that but for the
grace of God, there go I. Do you know that? You know how
hard this is? Oh, thank God for grace. The
grace of Christ that he would deliver a sinner from this. Verse 9, the Lord said unto Cain,
Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not. Am I
my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou done?
The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened
her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand. When thou
tellest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee
her strength. A fugitive and a vagabond shalt
thou be in the earth. And Cain said unto the Lord,
my punishment is greater than I can bear. That's not repentance. That's not sorrow for sin. He
didn't say my sin. He didn't say, oh, I'm a sinner,
God be merciful to me. He said, my punishment. That's
sorrow that he got called. Everybody is going to be sorry
in that day. You know that? Everybody. Verse 13, Cain said unto the
Lord, my punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou
hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth, and from
thy face shall I be hid. And I shall be a fugitive and
a vagabond in the earth, and it shall come to pass that everyone
that findeth me shall slay me. And the Lord said unto him, Therefore,
whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.
And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should
kill him. The Lord said, Vengeance is mine.
I will not have any more murder. I will not have it. Nobody touch
him. Vengeance is mine. He put a mark
on Cain. It does not say what it was.
It does not matter. But the Lord said, Vengeance
is mine. Verse 16, And Cain went out from the presence of the
Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. And
Cain knew his wife, and she conceived, and bare Enoch. And he builded
a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his
son Enoch. And unto Enoch was born Ired,
and Ired begat Mehugel, and Mehugel begat Methusel, and Methusel
begat Lamech, and Lamech took unto him two wives." Now this lineage is showing us
that every man born in Adam has been infected with sin. Every one of them. Every man
in Adam is vile and rebellious, a sinner against God. Look at
Genesis chapter 2 verse 24. Our Lord said, therefore shall
a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto
his wife and they shall be one flesh. God said one man, one
woman. Lamech said, I'm going to take
two wives. I'm going to disregard God's
word. Take what I want. Back over in
Genesis 4 verse 19, Lamech took unto him two wives, and the name
of the one was Ada, the name of the other Zillah. And Ada
bare Jabal, he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and
of such as have cattle. And his brother's name was Jubal,
he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-kain, an instructor of every artificer
in brass and iron. And the sister of Tubal-kain
was Nahumah. And Lamech said unto his wives,
Ada and Zillah, hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto
my speech, for I have slain a man to my wounding and a young man
to my hurt. That's not repentance. He's not
saying, oh, feel sorry for me. If you have a margin right there,
look at, I've got a number 11. He said, I would slay a man in
my wound. If anybody tries to touch me,
I'll kill him. And he said, I did. He wounded me, but I killed him. And nobody's going to do anything
about it. They didn't do anything to Cain. Look at verse 24. He
said, If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy
and sevenfold. I'll sin all I want to and who's
going to stop me? That's the world we live in. How sad is it? Man, it's so sad. That is this flesh. By nature
that is this man. Man has been ruined. I mean ruined. And man has no idea. Ruined by the fall into sin. And man has no idea. Flat ruined. But God. Oh man. Can you imagine how all the saints
of glory are going to be crying from the depths of their soul
unto Him that loved us in spite of us and gave Himself for us? Be glory and dominion forever
and ever. Look at verse 25. And Adam knew
his wife again. And she bare a son, and called
his name Seth. His name means appointed. But God. Man was ruined, but
God. All the glory goes to God. All the thanks goes to God. If man tries to lift a finger
to help God, he's going to be cursed. It all goes to God. Verse 25, Adam knew his wife
again and she bare a son and called his name Seth, for God
said she. Now the first time she had Cain
and she said, I have gotten. But God, this time she said,
for God hath appointed me. Grace came. That's all I can
say about this ruined sinner. Grace came. Everything that I
did ruined me. But God appointed me. He has
appointed me something. God sent grace. Where sin did
abound, grace has much more abounded. This time she said, God hath
appointed me another seed. That seed is Christ. That's who
that is. The woman's seed, Abraham's seed,
the seed of David. That's Jesus Christ. And all
the people who are in him are that seed. She said in verse 25, For God
hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to Seth, to him also, there
was born a son, and he called his name Enos. His name means
mortal man. The appointed one became a mortal
man. Verse 26 says, then began men to call upon the
name of the Lord. The whole world was absolutely
ruined by the fall, but God. As poor wretched sinners, no
God and no hope, it seemed there was no one to help. But God in
His mercy, salvation supplied, emptied heaven, came down Himself
and a ransom was found. There was a Lamb. God will provide
Himself a Lamb. Then began men to call upon the
name of the Lord. There is one way of salvation. One way. The Lord Jesus Christ,
the Savior of sinners, the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world. Salvation is not by works. Not one work can get a sinner
into glory. Only the Lamb can do that. Look to Him. Call on Him. Then began man to call upon the
name of the Lord.