More About Cain And Abel

Q: What does the Bible say about Abel as a type of Christ?

Abel is seen as a type of Christ because he was a shepherd who offered a lamb for his sacrifice, representing Christ's ultimate sacrifice for His people. Abel, as a keeper of sheep, can be viewed as a type of Christ in several significant ways. He was known as the shepherd of his flock, which parallels Christ's designation as the Good Shepherd. Just as Abel kept his sheep safely, Christ promises that none of the flock given to Him by the Father will be lost (John 10:28). Furthermore, Abel brought an offering of the firstlings of his flock, symbolizing the need for sacrifice for his own life. This act foretold Christ's sacrifice, as the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep. Abel’s acceptance by God reinforces the need for faith in the one true sacrifice, which is ultimately fulfilled in Christ.

Q: How do we know the doctrine of sovereign grace is true?

Sovereign grace doctrine is supported by multiple scriptural references that emphasize God's control over salvation and His divine mercy towards His elect. The truth of sovereign grace is undergirded by numerous passages throughout Scripture, which assert that salvation is solely based on God's sovereign choice and grace rather than human effort or merit. In Ephesians 1:4-5, Paul articulates that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, highlighting His sovereign will in our salvation. Moreover, Romans 9 demonstrates God's sovereignty in election, where it is not dependent upon human will or exertion but on God’s mercy. The doctrine clearly shows that salvation is a gift, emphasizing grace alone as the means through which we come to faith.

Q: Why is the blood of Christ important for Christians?

The blood of Christ is essential for Christians as it is the means of our redemption and reconciliation with God, speaking of pardon rather than punishment. The significance of Christ's blood cannot be overstated in the life of a Christian. In the narrative of Abel, it is mentioned that his blood cried out for justice (Genesis 4:10), reflecting the demand for retribution. However, the blood of Christ speaks of better things, as noted in Hebrews 12:24, because it offers reconciliation, justice satisfied, and pardon for sin rather than punishment. Through His sacrificial death, Jesus fulfilled the law and became the ultimate atonement for sin (Hebrews 10:12), allowing believers direct access to God. Thus, Christ's blood serves as the foundation of our faith and relationship with the Father, ensuring eternal security for those who trust in Him.

Q: What does the story of Cain and Abel teach about worship?

The story of Cain and Abel highlights the importance of adhering to God's prescribed way of worship through faith and obedience. The narrative of Cain and Abel serves as a profound lesson on the nature of acceptable worship. Cain represented self-righteousness by bringing an offering from the fruits of his labor, which was not what God required, while Abel honored God's command by offering a lamb as a sacrifice. This distinction emphasizes that genuine worship must be rooted in faith and obedience to God’s directives. Hebrews 11:4 further illustrates Abel's offering as being made 'by faith,' suggesting that true worship must be grounded in faith that recognizes God’s sovereignty and authority over how we approach Him. Ultimately, God’s acceptance of Abel's sacrifice and rejection of Cain's underscores the necessity of worshiping God according to His established means, which for us today is through faith in Christ alone.

Okay, you can turn back to Genesis
4. I also want you to turn to Hebrews
11. Hebrews 11 is a New Testament
passage which deals with this story here. We will endeavor to go through
Genesis just as quickly as possible. I don't want to get bogged down.
I don't want us to miss the prevailing message. of various passages. However, there are so very many
things to be seen in every chapter and every line. We could spend
years here, no doubt. We could at least spend one year.
There are fifty chapters in Genesis, and if we took one chapter a
week, that would nearly take a year, wouldn't it? Well, we've
been taking longer than that thus far. But we're just going
to touch the high spots in various places. We're going to look again at
this Genesis 4, this chapter that deals with Cain and Abel. Terry, the title of this message
is More About Cain and Abel. More About Cain and Abel. And again, let me remind you
that what the name Genesis means is beginning. Beginning. It's the beginning of all things. From the book of Genesis we will
find the origin of all things, people, places, and things, and
especially the origin of every principle and every truth. And I mentioned to you an important
law that you need to remember. It's called the Law of First
Mention. Arthur Pink used to speak of it a lot. I've heard
my pastor mention it quite a bit, the Law of First Mention. What
that means is whatever principle or truth you find in the book
of Genesis will generally be carried on throughout the rest
of scripture. God doesn't change his mind.
God doesn't come up with a better way. Whatever God sets forth
in the beginning is the way he never changes, he said. And whatever
he sets forth, whatever principle or truth is carried out through
the rest of the scripture, and we'll see this also. We've already
looked at Cain and Abel, but there's more to be seen here.
There are some mysteries here that will remain a mystery, but
there are some things that are revealed in us and our children. There are some types of Christ
here that we need to see. I think it will be a blessing
to us—types of Christ as seen through Abel. All right, let's
look at it. We'll first look at Abel as a
type. of Christ. Or I look at chapter
4, verse 2. We'll see Abel as a type of Christ
in several verses here. It says that Eve again bare his
brother Abel, and Abel was a keeper of sheep, a feeder of sheep,
a keeper of sheep. Abel was a shepherd, and it's
significant that he says he's a keeper of sheep. He kept his
sheep. I have to believe that Abel didn't
lose any of his sheep, that he kept them. That's what the Lord
called him, a keeper of sheep. Well, Christ is called throughout
the Scripture. He's called the Good Shepherd.
Now, in order to be a good shepherd, you have to do a good job, don't
you? Well, our Lord said from heaven—that God said from heaven
about our Lord, He did a job well done. Well done. He was
the Good Shepherd. He's the Great Shepherd. That
must mean that he's better than the rest of the shepherds. There's good, there's better,
and then there's great, right? Well, he's called the Great Shepherd.
There were some good ones before him, but some of them lost their
sheep. Well, Christ said, All that the
Father giveth me, I'll lose nothing. He's called the Great Shepherd.
That makes him the Great Shepherd. He's also called the Chief Shepherd.
He's the shepherd over the shepherds. He's the one that keeps the shepherds,
who keep the sheep. So he kept his sheep. Not one
of them is lost. And so did Abel. All right? Another
thing. Look at verse 4. In the process
of time, Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock. Now,
if you have a marginal reference, it says sheep. He continues to
to tell us that Abel kept sheep. Abel, as a shepherd, presented an offering to God
as a shepherd. What he did when he brought this
offering was he was bringing a sheep for his own life, for
the preservation, for the saving of his own life, was he not? That was for him, there was no
one else. He brought that for his own life. He brought a sheep
for his life. Well, Christ said, I am the good
shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. So Christ, the good shepherd
as a shepherd, came and he brought an offering too. It was himself. He gave his life for the sheep.
Abel gave a sheep for his life. Christ gave his own life for
the sheep. He's the great and chief shepherd.
All right, read on. Abel was hated by his brother
without a cause. It said in verse 5 that Cain
was very wroth and his countenance fell. Cain was very angry and
his countenance fell. He was angry at Abel, yes, without
a cause. Why was he angry at Abel? Abel
didn't do anything to Cain, did he? Abel was just doing what
God told him to do, what God told Cain to do. Right? And Cain
got mad, got mad at his brother. We'll see in a moment how that
he slew or killed his brother. But really, he was mad at God,
too. He was mad at God. And this is
a fulfillment of the Scripture. Christ said this in John 15.
Christ said, This cometh to pass. that the word might be fulfilled
that is written in their law, talking about how the Jews hated
him. They hated me without a cause. The brethren of our Lord, his
own, he came to his own, his own received him not. They hated
him. There was not a cause. He said, which of you convinces
me of sin? Who can find a cause in me that
I should be killed? Nobody found a cause, but they
hated him anyway. I look at verse six here in chapter
four. And the Lord said unto Cain,
Why art thou wroth in thy countenances? Why is thy countenance fallen?
Abel was slain. Now this is what this is, a countenance
fallen. You've seen it on people. This
is envy is what this is. Abel was slain out of envy by
his brother. Have you ever seen this on people?
Have you ever seen when someone else is being lauded and someone
else is being bragged on or someone else is being lifted up in high
esteem. If someone is jealous or envious,
have you ever seen them go? You can see the blood drain out
of their face in that. They're countenance. You know, when you're
countenance is lifted up, they smile, right? And when you're
envious or jealous, you can't keep it up. You've seen that,
haven't you? Well, that's what happened here.
He's countenance fell. his countenance fell. He was
envious of his brother. Abel was slain out of envy. And our Lord said in Matthew
27, our Lord knew that for envy they had delivered him. For envy
they had delivered him. Abel didn't die a natural death.
Look at verse 8. It says Cain rose up in the last
part of verse 8. against Abel, his brother, and
slew him, killed him. Abel didn't die a natural death,
did he? He was killed at the hands of
his brother. Christ was slain. He could not die a natural death. It would have been impossible
for Christ to die a natural death, because death is the result of
sin, right? It's impossible for a righteous
man to die. The law won't have it and God
won't kill him. God won't have. The wages of
sin is death. The wages of righteousness is
life eternal. And that's the wages that Christ
earned, life. And he said, no man taketh my
life from me. And no man lay it down. So they
didn't even really slay him, but he laid it down. He gave
it up. But the point I'm trying to make
is that Abel, as a type of Christ, didn't die a natural death. He
was slain, and so was Christ. He was slain by his brethren.
He was slain by his wicked brother. Verse 8, Cain talked with Abel,
his brother. And I think we saw Sunday before
last how they were talking about their sacrifices. This appears
that they were talking on their way back. from the eastern gate
of Eden, where they had offered these sacrifices. And Cain's
offering and himself were rejected, and Abel and his offering were
accepted, and they most certainly were talking about this. And
I'm just certain of it that Abel was talking to his brother about
the gospel. Abel was talking to Cain about
what they had heard from their father, what they had learned
from God, what God had taught them. They shall all be taught
of God. And talking about sovereign grace. Cain was a self-righteous, free-will
man. Bought his own offering. God
rejected it, thumbs down. Abel was a believer in sovereign
grace, believer in the coming sea, believer in The blood before
the Lord, a believer in one way to worship God and be accepted
by Him, that is by the blood, atonement. And God accepted him,
and Abel, I'm just certain that Abel was talking to his brother
about this, doing it as nicely as possible. Dad told Adam, Dad
told us, God told him, that there's only one way to come before the
Lord, and why are you getting mad? You should have known that
God wouldn't accept your word. And God wouldn't have accepted
me if I brought that either. The only thing God will accept
is what he gives. Salvation is by grace, Cain.
We've always been taught that from the beginning. By grace,
do you say? Through faith. And that's not
even up yourself. It's the gift of God. And without
the shedding of blood, there's no remission of sin. Cain, we
knew that. We've heard that from children. Why would you bring
anything in? God will only accept the blood.
And the coming Messiah who will shed his own blood. That's the
only thing God will accept. God's holy. We're sinners. And
we've earned death. And that's the reason our daddy
was kicked out. And that's the reason of the curse of the ground.
And Cain just gritted his teeth the whole time. And just tolerated
what his brother was saying. He might have even nodded his
head, Joe. In agreement, that's right, that's right. As soon
as Abel turned his back, that old wicked self-righteous
nature came out, and he killed his brother. First death was
caused over sovereign grace. Sure was. Killed by his wicked
brother, Cain. And to Christ's kinsmen, it was
said there at Pentecost that day, Peter said, Yeah, you, men
of Israel, brothers of the Lord himself, you, with wicked hands,
have taken and crucified the Lord. For he came unto his own,
and his own received him not. For we are envious and jealous
of him. Well, look at chapter 4, verse
10. After Abel's death, God declared that his blood cried unto him.
God said, What hast thou done, Cain? The voice of thy brother's
blood crieth unto me from the ground. Abel's blood cried unto
him from the ground. And the Scripture says in Hebrews
12, listen to this, it says, To Jesus, the mediator of the
new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh. better things than that of Abel.
The blood of Jesus Christ speaketh unto God. It cries unto him from
the cross and from the ground. It cries. It speaks unto him.
It makes reconciliation. The blood of Christ speaks peace. The blood of Christ speaks justice
satisfied. The blood of Christ speaks our
pardon. The blood of Christ doesn't cry
out for our punishments. like Abel's blood did. Now, this
is the anti-type. Abel's blood cried out for the
punishment of Cain, didn't it? Well, the blood of Christ doesn't
cry out for our punishment, but for our pardon. Speaks better
things, doesn't it? Better things. Not punishment,
but pardon. Now look over at Hebrews 11 now. Hebrews 11. And here's Paul We
believe Paul is a writer of Hebrews. Paul refers back to this story,
and he says something about Abel's offering. Hebrews 11, verse 4,
in this great chapter called, we like to call it the Hall of
Faith. Hebrews 11, 4, and isn't it significant that God first
brings up Abel? Verse 4, Offered unto God. A sacrifice. Abel's offering
was unto God, wasn't it? Abel offered his offering unto
God, although it was for him, for the permission of his own
sins, but yet it was unto God because God needed that to pardon
his sin, didn't it? So it was unto God. Abel's offering
was unto God. Well, listen to this. In Ephesians
5 it says, Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for
an offering and a sacrifice to God. So when Jesus Christ came,
and you won't hear this said very much. You'll only hear this
from a gospel preacher. that when Jesus Christ came,
his sacrifice, his offering, his blood was shed principally
unto God. Unto God. God's law and justice
had to be satisfied first before any sinner could go for it. First. So he was unto God, and he offered
himself for an offering and a sacrifice to God. All right? Look back at the text, and keep
your place there in Hebrews 11. It said in chapter four verse
four that Abel presented the firstling of his flock. The firstling
of his flock, that means a newborn of the sheep. Now what's that?
What's a newborn sheep? Somebody say it. A lamb. A lamb. The firstling of a flock. A lamb.
Well listen to this. Peter said in 1 Peter 1, he said
you know we're not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver
and gold received from your bang bang tradition received from
the father but we were redeemed with the precious blood of Christ
as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. It doesn't
say that doesn't say here that it was without blemish without
spot but you better believe it was. Like I said that law of
first mention. The same principle is carried
out throughout the scripture. And what is not mentioned, though,
it's certainly inferred from that. Firstling, the best of
his flock, and the fat thereof. That means it was a big, fat
lamb, well prepared. A lamb, a firstling of the flock,
a lamb without spot or without blemish. And that's what Peter
said, as of a lamb we're redeemed with precious blood, as of a
lamb. John said, when Christ appeared
that day, he said, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away
the sin of the world. And the four and twenty elders
say that are before the throne, they say, worthy is the Lamb.
And John said he saw in the midst of the throne one as a lamb that
had been slain. And somehow or another, and this
is such a mystery, somehow or another when we see Christ, we're
going to see him as a lamb. We'll see a man, but somehow
it's going to be as a lamb that had been slain. If you can explain
that, you know more than I do. But nevertheless, Christ is the
Lamb of God to take away the sin of His people. All right? Able in doing this, able in bringing
this Lamb, was simply honoring the will and the Word of God,
wasn't it? God, as I said, God told these
boys what to bring, and it was blood. Bring a lamb. So Abel, when he brought this
lamb, he was honoring the will and the word of God. Wasn't it?
God said, come. God didn't give him an option,
did he? He said, now if you just come
to me any old way you please, as long as you're sincere, I'll
accept the best that you bring. No. The will and the purpose
of God was for them to bring blood. He said, you bring blood
or it won't be accepted. Right? So Abel honored the will
of God and the word of God in bringing the lamb. What Christ
said in Hebrews 10, it was said of Christ. Then said he, Lo,
I come to do thy will, O God. And he taketh away the first,
that he may establish the second. Oh, he didn't come with lamb's
blood. He came with his own blood, the
scripture said. entered in once into the holy
place with his own blood. Because it's not possible that
the blood of bulls and goats should take away sin, and neither
did the blood of that lamb that Abel brought take away his sin. But by faith in the coming lamb
of God, Christ, and Christ brought his own blood as of a lamb without
spot or blemish to come to do, and he did God's will. That is,
he was God's lamb. And he did, according to God's
word, he said, it behooveth us to fulfill every jot and tittle
of the law. And he did that. All right, look
at Hebrews 11 again. Hebrews 11, verse 4. It says,
By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than
Cain. A more excellent sacrifice than
Cain. Abel's offering was described
as an excellent one. Well, Hebrews 10, turn back the
page, let's look at it for yourself. Look at verse 12. Hebrews 10, verse 12, I've already
half quoted it. This man, after he'd offered
one sacrifice for sin forever, sat down on the right hand of
God. That tells me that this was the
most excellent of all the excellent sacrifices. Because Paul spends
a great deal of time throughout Hebrews talking about somebody
that's better. The whole book of Hebrews talks
about Christ being better. Christ being better than the
Levitical priesthood, Christ being better than the angels,
Christ being better than those lambs or offerings that were
offered. In other words, his sacrifice
was most excellent. Most excellent. It was so excellent that God
said, you sit right down, there doesn't need to be any more offering
to make. You see, all the priests before him, they offered continually,
year after year, the same sacrifices, which never put away sin. Well,
this man bought one. Before we came up here, I was
just browsing through Hebrews. If you want to do a good study,
look through not only the book of Hebrews, but all through the
New Testament. How many times does it say one? One. Ephesians 4 talks about
one Lord, one faith, one baptism. Hebrews 9 talks about once he
entered into the holy place, not made with hand. Now once
in the end of the world, as he appeared to put away sin, Christ
was once offered to bear the sins of many. In Hebrews 10,
he said that several times. Hebrews 10.10, by the which will
we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all. This man, verse 12, one sacrifice
for sin. Verse 14, by one offering, and
on and on it goes. That means it was a most excellent
sacrifice. So excellent, God said, I don't
need any more. This one is the best of the best. This is most excellent. And I
love how the scriptures, how Paul talks about in the scriptures,
the excellencies of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. If you're an old sinner, and
realize that nothing you have ever done or will do can be accepted
by God, you'll see the excellency of this sacrifice, and you'll
bring nothing else. Abel saw it, didn't he? All right, look at chapter 4
again in Genesis. Chapter 4, verse 4. I know we're
repeating ourselves several times here, but this is interesting,
isn't it? Such perfect—this tells me how
this book is so divinely inspired, doesn't it? Isn't it proof to
you that God wrote this book? It's so exact. It just speaks
of his Son all the way through. God had respect unto Abel and
his offering. Verse 4 says the Lord had respect
unto Abel and his offering. Well, the Scripture said in Hebrews
10, I already mentioned it, to this man, this man, God had respect
unto his offering and told him to sit down. He respected it
so much, he let him sit right down beside him. Now that's the
right hand of God, Terry, is the place of acceptance in it.
The son of the right hand is the most cherished and loved
and respected of all the children, isn't he? He's the eldest son. He's the son that all the others
will serve. He's the son that all the others
look up to as an example. the eldest son, the place of
respect. And that's where God's Son sat
down. All right, look at Hebrews 11 again, verse 4. Hebrews 11,
4, and it's no mere coincidence that verse 4 has it all. Hebrews
11, 4 says that God, by faith, Abel offered unto God a more
excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which Abel obtained witness
that he was righteous. Who bore witness that Abel was
righteous? Who did? God did. Look at that. God testified of
his gift. He said, God testified. He obtained
witness that he was righteous. Listen to this. Listen to this.
In Luke 23, it says, When Christ was hanging on that cross, then
an old pagan Roman centurion saw him hanging there, and he
bore witness. He said, Surely, certainly, this
was a righteous man. Do you hear that? Abel, God testified
of his gift. He bore witness. He obtained
witness that he was righteous. In bringing his offering, he
obtained witness that he was righteous. Well, when Christ
hung on that cross, bringing that sacrifice for sin, he obtained
a witness that even that pagan man said, surely, everybody could
see this was a righteous man. And God testified of his gift.
And it said there in verse 4, look at it, I love this verse,
God testifying of his gifts by it, by his gift, he being dead
yet speaking. He being dead yet speaking. Well, the scripture says in Romans
1 that God declared his Son Christ to be the Son of God with power
according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the
dead. He that was dead is not dead
anymore. He yet speaketh. He ever lives. He ever lived. The only man who
ever wrote out his own personal will and died and then lived
again to see that it was carried out. He yet speaketh. To Jesus, the mediator of the
new covenant, to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better
things than that of a he being dead yet speaker. All right?
Look back at Genesis 4 again. Let's look at Cain for a minute. We'll see Cain and his offering.
And Cain represents, principally, Cain represents the Jews. He also represents natural man.
He represents all of us by nature. But look at this in verse 2.
It says that Cain was a tiller of the ground. See that? Tiller
of the ground. The Jews, there's no coincidence,
the Jews are all taken up with the promised land. Land. When you talk about the
Jews, they still talk about today, the holy land. There's nothing
holy about that land. The only thing holy that was
in that land was the one who walked on it. The maker of it,
the creator of it. But the Jews, you see how the
Jews are still referred to in reference to the land. That's
a type of base man, dirt. Thus thou art, and thus thou
shalt return. People of the land came to the
tiller of the ground. That's what man works in and
strives for all the days of his life. What's he going to get
when he ends up with it? Nothing but dirt. Six feet in the ground
is our inheritance. Look at it. Cain refused to bring
a lamb. Cain brought, verse 3, in the
process of time, it came to pass, Cain brought to the fruit of
the ground an offering unto the Lord. Cain refused to bring a
lamb. He rejected God's way of worship. Cain, in his own self-righteousness,
brought his own offering. In Romans 10, verse 3 says that
they're going about to establish their own righteousness. have
not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. They
are going about to establish their own. They bring their own
works, the works of their hand. He refused to bring a lamb, and
the Jews refused to believe in Christ, didn't they? They refused.
And the natural man, all of us by nature, rejected God's man
and said, We did esteem him smitten and stricken of God. He was rejected
of men, despised and rejected of Jew and Gentile. We did. When we first heard the gospel,
we rejected it, didn't we? By nature. Cain brought his own. This is interesting. Listen to
this. Brother Ed Berry pointed this out to me. This is so interesting. He noticed that Abel brought
a lamb, and the fat thereof, and that speaks of an altar,
doesn't it? He had to put that lamb on an altar. Well, Cain
brought the fruit of the ground and the flowers and everything
that came from the ground. And I'm sure he put it on the
altar, too. But Brother Barry pointed out to me that the Mormon,
so-called Mormons, they have a... I remember seeing it when
he brought it up to me. They have an insignia that they
use, kind of like a coat of arms, you know. Next time you look
at that insignia, it's a picture. And in that picture is coat of
arms, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And in
that, at the bottom of that, you'll see an altar. And in front of the altar on
the ground is a lamb. And on top of the altar are fruit
and flowers. Isn't that interesting? That's
man's religion. And it's no different with all
the rest of the religions, you know. You'll see Mary with a
big halo around her, you know, and in her arms, in her hands,
our baby Jesus. Or in her arms... Rejected by
God. The Scripture says, by the deeds
of the law, no flesh shall be justified in his sight. So Cain
slew his brother out of envy. He slew him out of envy. Why?
Because he was accepted. His sacrifice was accepted. All
had to do with the sacrifice, didn't it? And Cain slew his
brother out of envy. And it was the Jew who crucified
Christ. It was the Jew. And it was us
by nature, too. We despised and rejected him.
He was despised and rejected by men. All men. Look at verse
10 and 11. God charged Cain with his brother's
death. What hast thou done? The voice
of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground." Now,
you're cursed. You're cursed from the earth,
which has to open her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from
thy hand. God charged Cain with his brother's
death and cursed him because of it. And God is especially
cursed to Jews, isn't He? Especially. But He's cursed all
men. We're all under the curse of
the law, aren't we? And the principal curse that we're under from the
hand of God Almighty is for killing His Son. Unbelief. Unbelief is the principal curse
that we're under for killing God's Son. All are under the
curse of God. And part of Cain's curse, look
at verse 12. Look at it. It says, When thou
tillest the ground, and shalt not henceforth yield unto thee
her strength, a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the
earth. Part of Cain's curse was that
he was to be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth. Doesn't that describe
the Jews? Jews are hated and a wanted man in every country
throughout this world. Isn't it? And man is a fugitive
from God's justice as well. Cain was driven out by God, it
says in verse 14. You have driven me out and hid
your face from me. From thy face shall I be hid,
and I will be a fugitive. The Jews, forty years after Christ
was crucified, the Jews were driven out of Palestine. You
know that? Forty years after Christ was
crucified, they were driven out of Palestine. And it appears that God has hidden
his face to their cries. God's face is certainly hidden
from natural man. Well, look at verse 15. The Lord
God put a mark on Cain. The Lord said unto him, Whosoever
slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. The
Lord set a mark upon Cain, set him apart. Why is it that you
can tell it's a picture of a Jew out of the ground? I'm serious. Can't you? Now, some of them, they look
a great deal like arabs and so forth for some reason it i'm
not exaggerating them the jews are marked man clearly
found out by all clearly so is the natural man god says of us
all be sure your sins will find you out unless the lord finds
you in finds you in him all right the lord said he would visit
those who slew Cain with sevenfold vengeance." See that, verse 15?
The Lord said, "...whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall
be taken on him sevenfold." Well, He said of Israel in Genesis
12, He said, "...I will bless them that bless thee, and curse
them that curse thee." Now, that's a mystery, isn't it? Cursed above
all people, yet blessed above all people. Isn't that a mystery? Throughout the Old Testament,
the Jews Fugitives and vagabonds and slaves and cursed to that
degree. We get blessed of all men because
out of thee Israel, oh Israel, come with him. The Messiah is
coming to you. Yeah, you first. When Christ
was about to leave, he told the disciples, he said, you go into
all the world and preach the gospel beginning where? At Jerusalem. Why? They're the worst sinners
of the bunch. They were the ones that killed
men. Now John, that just tells me that the Lord is very merciful,
isn't he? Very merciful. Cain. What did
Cain deserve at the hands of the Lord? Mercy? Strict justice. He got a little mercy there,
didn't he? He was fair to some degree. Well, the Lord kicked Cain out. Cain left the land to dwell in
a city. Look at verses 16 and 17. Cain
went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land
of Nod. Cain knew his wife. She conceived
and bare Enoch, and he built a city. Cain left the land to
dwell in a city. And that's where you'll find
the Jews for the most part, city dwellers. Isn't that right? In
the heart of New York City and various places, millions of Jews. It's no coincidence, is it? No
coincidence. Let's just notice a few more
things, and I'll quit, OK? Just give me about three more
minutes. Look at verse 17. Let's look at the descendants
of Cain and some of these things. Cain knew his wife. She conceived
and bear in it, and built a city, called the name of the city The
Lord is Merciful. No. No, he called him after his
son. Cain here is a type of man, isn't
he? unbelieving, rebellious, natural
man. He does all he does and names
what he names after himself, doesn't he? Typical of man's
vainglory. Verse 19, one of the descendants
of Cain, Lamech, took unto him two wives. This is the first
mention of polygamy in the Scripture. I don't care what Brigham Young
says. God never did sanction polygamy. Where did it start?
Where did polygamy start, taking two wives, more than one wife?
With a descendant of Cain. You see that? Cain. By Cain, son, and Dr. Gill, I
don't know where he got it all, but he says his wives and his
daughters and all that were just wicked, and he got that from
Jewish different versions and so forth about what his sons
and daughters did. All full of wickedness. Verses
21 and 22 say that Jubal was the father of one of these boys,
or this man Jubal, one of the grandsons of Cain, who was the
father of such as Handel, the harp, and the organ, and Zillah,
Baal, Tubal, Cain, and Struct of Artificer, and every artificer,
and brass, and iron, and so forth. In other words, this is music
and arts and crafts, and they were taken up with everything,
interested in everything but God. Right? Everything but God
and that natural man. Verses 23 and 24 about Lamech
slaying somebody, and I don't have the foggiest idea what that
means. I'll just be honest with you. I don't know what it has
to do with. It's a mystery there. But this is not a mystery here.
Verse 25 and 26. Now, look at this. Now, I want
you to sit up and pay notice Pay attention to this, OK? Sit
up. Pay attention. This is important. This is so
important. This is what it all was building
up to. This is why Abel died. And this is the lineage, the
generation afterward. Cain, verse 25, knew his wife
again. I mean, Adam knew his wife again,
and she bare a son up That doesn't mean that this was after Cain
and all of his posterity. That doesn't mean that. It just
means that at one time, after the death of Abel, that Adam
knew his wife again, and she bare a son and called his name
Seth. Now, do you have a marginal reference
there? What does it say that Seth means?
appointed elect. By the death of Abel, look at
this, God, said she, hath appointed me another seed, singular, instead
of Abel, whom Cain slew. A chosen elect seed, because
Abel had died. You see? That's a picture of Christ, isn't
it? After the death of Abel, another
child, and it's significant that it says seed is born. It's born because of, and from
him there would come, because of him, the worshipers, verse
26, and to Seth, to him also there was born a son, and he
called his name Enos. Enos. then began men to call
upon the name of the Lord. And my margin also says they
called themselves by the name of the Lord. And it all came
because Abel died. You see that? And Seth, we're
going to see in chapter five next week, how that Seth is the
grandfather of Noah from whom the Messiah would come. And this
is a picture of Christ here. It says, Upon the death of Christ,
a new generation is conceived. All right? We are regenerated
because Christ died, and we are called by his name, aren't we?
We're called the sons of God. Only because Christ died do men—are
men called by his name. Christians. Christians. And in
and through and because and by Christ, men call on God, and
God hears them. True worshipers worship the Father
in spirit and in truth, and His Son who is the truth. And these
men make up the recorded book. Look at chapter 5, verse 1. This
is the book, the book of the generations of Adam. In other
words, there's only one book written with these names of the
men whom God chose to record, the book of the generations of
Adam. The Book of the Generations of
Adam. And it begins with Seth. It doesn't begin with Cain. There's no more mention. Pink
said that Cain's descendants were killed in the Flood. Because Noah came from Seth,
didn't he? And Noah's sons, Cain's, were
wiped out in the Flood. And the continuance of Adam was
the Book of the Generations of Adam through Seth. And you know
there's only one other time there's mention of the book of the generation?
I want you to look at it. Over in Matthew chapter one. Significant that Matthew one
says the same thing as Genesis five verse one said. Look at
it. Matthew one. When this was brought
to my attention I just lit up. Matthew one verse one. Got it? The book. of the generation of
Jesus Christ. Only time it's ever said. The
first Adam and the second Adam. The book of the generation of
Jesus Christ. If you want to look it up yourself
sometime, Luke chapter three says this. I'll just read it
to you in closing. Luke chapter three says this.
Given the generation of Christ, it says in verse twenty-two,
the Holy Ghost descended upon him, and a voice came from heaven,
which said, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
And the last verse of that chapter says, and it's given the genealogy,
says, which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, Jesus
of Nazareth, which was the son of Enos, which was the son of
Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God. So from the fall of man and God's
pronouncement of the coming seed of woman, everything from there
on is in direct relation to him. Cain's wiped out. Cain's rejected. And from here on, John, from
the beginning, when God said the seed of woman, and when he
begins to record the book, it's all in reference to the seed,
to Christ. It all bears reference to him,
concerning him. There they would testify. of
me, the seed, the Son of Man, the Christ. This is the book
of the generation, the regeneration of God's Son and the sons in
his name. All right, I hope you found that
interesting and edifying and were able to praise God for his
marvelous, marvelous, wondrous work. All right, stand with me. Our Heavenly Father, we exalt
your wisdom and your power and your Word. How deep, how glorious,
how wondrous, how mysterious. Lord, if we only had the faculties
and the minds, if we were only able to receive it. You said
you had many things to say unto us, but we're not able to receive
them as yet. We're dull of hearing. Forgive us, Lord, but we're so
glad that you've do remember our frame, that we're dust. But
yet, Lord, it does not prevent us from studying to show ourselves
approved, searching the Scriptures. And, Lord, there's so many wondrous
things to behold from thy wondrous law. So open our hearts that
we may behold, and our eyes that we may behold wondrous things
from this book. These things are too great for us, too high,
too wondrous. But yet if you, by your Spirit,
open our hearts to receive them, we can rejoice, see your marvelous
hand in them. And above all, we will see the
Son of your right hand, the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the seed,
the seed. We worship you, dear Lord, through
the seed, the seed who came from the woman. the woman's seed.
Christ Jesus, our Lord, our Messiah, we worship you through him. We
bring before you tonight the blood of the seed. Thank you,
Lord, for this word. Never let us grow tired of it.
May we desire the sincere milk of it, that we might grow in
faith thereby. In Christ's name, we are met
together tonight. Amen.

More About Cain And Abel

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Why is the blood of Christ important for Christians?

What does the story of Cain and Abel teach about worship?

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More About Cain And Abel

What does the Bible say about Abel as a type of Christ?

How do we know the doctrine of sovereign grace is true?

Why is the blood of Christ important for Christians?

What does the story of Cain and Abel teach about worship?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

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