Now we're looking and turning
again to the book of Genesis, chapter 4. I'm entitling the
message from this chapter, Salvation, Grace or Works? Salvation that every sinner is
so desperately in need of. Does God save sinners by creature
merit? works or by the sovereign grace
of God. This scripture that we're going
to consider this morning says before us the very true and plain
way of salvation that God has established and revealed in not
only the book of Genesis, but all the way through to the Revelation. Jesus Christ. Salvation by the
grace of God alone. You see the whole book we call
the Bible, the inspired Word of God, teaches us that salvation
is by the way of grace alone. Grace alone were justified, Romans
3.24, were justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in the Lord Jesus Christ. This book also reveals that salvation
is by the way of faith. Faith, not in myself, faith in
Christ. Faith not in my church, faith
not in my deed, but saving faith always looks to the object of
faith, which is Christ himself, looking unto Jesus, who's the
author and finisher of our faith, the exalted victorious Lord.
This book also reveals unto us that the way of salvation is
in the Lord Jesus Christ, alone. It's not Christ and something
I do, not Christ and something I bring, but salvation is the
Lord Jesus Christ himself. As I've said to you these many
years that I've been here, almost 21 years now, salvation is in
a person. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son does
not have life. So this book teaches the way
of salvation by grace alone, faith alone in Christ, in the
Lord Jesus Christ Himself alone. He said, I'm the way, the truth,
the life. No man come to the Father but
by and through me. And it's a way of sin atonement
by and only by Sin atonement, how was sin put away anyway?
It's very difficult to put away sin. You can't do it. No man can do it. Sin is only
put away by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. His blood
cleanses us from all our sin. Now listen to me carefully. God
has never, with emphasizing the word never, God has never justified
any sinner apart from His grace and apart from the blood sacrifice
of Jesus Christ. It's the blood of Jesus Christ,
God's Son, that cleanses us from all our sins, including the first
sinner that God ever saved. Now, preacher, who was the first
sinner that God ever saved? Well, we have it right here in
Genesis chapter 3. Look just across the page. Genesis
chapter 3, verse 21, fallen Adam, who rebelled against God, who
sinned against God. God said, in the day you eat,
you'll die. He died spiritually. 930 years
later, he died physically. But before God drove him out
of the garden, you know what he did? He justified Adam by
blood and by his grace. Look at verse 21, unto Adam also,
and to his wife, Adam and Eve, did the Lord God make coats of
skin and He clothed them. There was a blood sacrifice,
there was a covering, typical of that blood sacrifice of Christ,
typical of that righteousness provided in Christ, that garment
of salvation that the Lord Jesus Christ has provided for us. Every sinner that God ever saved
and justified, He did so by the blood atonement of Jesus Christ,
including Adam, including Abraham, Abraham believed God and it was
imputed to him for righteousness. Including Abraham. Remember what
our Lord said of Abraham? Abraham rejoiced to see my day.
He saw it and was glad. Not only including Adam and Abraham,
but how about Moses? Was Moses justified by the law?
By the deeds of the law? He received the law from the
hand of God. But he was never justified by
the law, for by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified. But listen to our Lord. In John
chapter 5 we studied this. He said to those Pharisees, you
are they that search the Scriptures, but they are they which testify
of me. Had you believed Moses, you would have believed me, because
Moses wrote about me. He wrote about my righteousness,
my obedience, my blood atonement, my grace, my mercy. Moses wrote
about the Lord Jesus Christ. Was Moses justified? Absolutely. By the deeds of the law? Never.
By God's grace? Absolutely. From Adam who was
justified by God's grace, through the Lord Jesus Christ unto the
last sinner that God will save, all sinners are saved by grace."
Sovereign mercy. Sovereign grace. That'll never
change. That'll never change. You know
why? God doesn't change. He's the same yesterday, today,
and forever. Listen to this testimony of the
faithful apostle. His name was Paul. He reminds
young Timothy it's God who saved us and called us with a holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to His own
purpose and grace, given us in Christ Jesus before the foundation
of the world. Get those two words, purpose,
grace. Every sinner God saves, not an
accident, God saves sinners on purpose. His purpose and grace
which is eternal. I like this scripture in Acts
chapter 13, by him all that believe are justified from all things
which could not be justified by the law of Moses. We believe
like Peter when he stood up in Acts 15 and said, we believe
through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved,
even as those Gentile dogs. Now, we live in a religious world. Is that so? You know it is. Man-centered religion is everywhere. Everywhere. It doesn't matter
if you call it Mormonism or Muslim. It doesn't matter if you call
it Baptist or Buddhist. It doesn't matter if you call
it Hindu or Benny Hinn. Religion is everywhere. It's
in every country. It's in every culture. It's in
every county. We find religion on every street
corner. Go over here in town and in most
cities when you drive through a city, on every corner, in Main
Street, there's a church building on every corner. Religion's everywhere. All religion can be summed up.
Doesn't matter what you color it, what you call it, what you
shade it, what brand, what fruit, what it is. All religion can
be summed up in two categories, that of works, creature merit,
or that of the free grace of God alone. Two camps, two camps,
that of grace or that of works. The way of Cain, and the scripture
warns us about the way of Cain, we read that in Jude, remember?
Woe unto them that have gone the way of Cain. The way of Cain
represents works, flesh, and good deeds. Bring the best you
can, present it to God, everything will be alright. Woe unto them
that have gone the way of Cain. Or, revealed in the way of Abel,
The way of a blood sacrifice pointing to Christ, the Lamb
of God. The way of grace, sovereign grace, revealed in the Lord Jesus
Christ. And know this, you cannot mix.
You cannot mix grace and works. You cannot do it. Let me show
you a scripture that will help us understand that. Turn to Romans
chapter 11. Romans chapter 11, verse 5. Romans 11 verse 5, even so then
at this time also there is a remnant, a remnant according to the election
of grace. What is this election business?
I think God chose the people unto salvation before the foundation
of the world. And if by grace, the election
of grace, then it's no more works. It's no more works. If it's grace,
then it can't be works. Otherwise, grace would be no
more grace. But if it be of works, then it's
no more grace. You see, you can't have it both
ways. It's either salvation all 100%
by the grace of God, Or you've got salvation by your doing and
your deeds. And it can't be both. They will
not mix, otherwise work is no more work. These two brothers,
Cain and Abel, in Genesis 4, had proper instruction how to
approach God, how to worship God. They were both taught the
way of salvation in Christ. Preacher, how do you know that?
They had a father who believed the gospel. You see, Adam knew
something about fig leaf religion, didn't he? When he was fallen,
when God came seeking him, saying, what have you done? You remember
he sewed fig leaves together to try to hide himself from the
face of God? Didn't work, did it? People today
are doing the same thing. Adam warned both Cain and Abel
about the way of fig leaf religion, and he taught them the way to
approach God and worship God by the blood sacrifice of the
Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. Cain, being a rebel against God,
refused the way of grace. He thought his way was much better
and improved. That old bloody religion, that
old slaughterhouse religion of blood sacrifice. Ah, that's ugly. I'm gonna bring the fruit of
the ground. I've got a nice bouquet of flowers
and of vegetables. I'm gonna come and present that
to God and everything will be okay. No, it won't. No, it won't. There is a way
that seems right unto men, But the end of that way is death. Cain refused the way of grace.
He thought he had a better idea. He thought he had a new and improved
way. While Abel, by the grace of God,
believed God, obeyed God, brought the sacrifice pleasing to God,
he brought the blood of a substitute, pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ. Abel's hope is the same hope
I have. The Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus
Christ. Again, we see the sovereignty
of God in salvation. Cain was left to his own devices,
his own thoughts, his own ways, while God taught Abel the way
of salvation in Christ. Again, we read the Scripture
that says, "...he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy."
This whole story in all Old Testament Scripture is given to show us
the way of salvation Through the Lord Jesus Christ alone,
through His faithfulness, not mine. Through His doing, not
mine. Through His dying, not mine. What sets this ministry apart
here in Zebulun, apart from all others in this county, all others
that I know of? We preach that salvation depends
upon Christ. Salvation does not depend upon
you. It's not that God has done all
He can do, now the rest is left up to you. That's the way of
Cain. Salvation by the grace of God is what this book teaches. Therefore, we must preach it. Salvation depends upon His faithfulness. Salvation depends upon His righteousness. Salvation depends upon His obedience,
His sacrifice. He became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. That's the way of April. Now,
which way are you going? Which way are you going? Woe
unto them that have gone the way of Cain. Now let's look at
some particulars here. What was wrong with the way Cain
approached God? And what was wrong with his offering? Look at verse 3. Genesis 4 verse
3. And in the process of time it
came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an
offering unto the Lord." First thing we know is this, it was
a bloodless sacrifice. I'm sure Cain brought the best
he had. He labored a whole year as a
farmer in his field to bring the best and presented it unto
the Lord. It says in verse 5, but unto
Cain and to his offering, God did not receive it. He did not
respect it. It had no satisfaction unto God. God had no delight in it. No
blood sacrifice. Cain's offering did nothing to
put away his sin, did nothing to satisfy the justice of God.
Matter of fact, I want you to turn and read this with me. Turn
to 1st John, chapter 3, verse 11 and 12. 1st John, chapter
3. You know what God says of His offering? You know what He
says? It was evil. It what? A basket of fruit, evil? Yes, because He thought that
recommended Him to God. rather than the blood sacrifice
of Christ. Look at 1 John chapter 3 verse
11. This is a message that we've
heard from the beginning that you should love one another not
as pain. Who was of the wicked one? and slew his brother." Who's
the wicked one? Our Lord said to those Pharisees,
you are of your father, the devil. He was a liar in the beginning. He was a murderer in the beginning.
Not as Cain who was of the wicked one, and slew his brother. Wherefore
slew he him? Because his own works were evil. You see that? Underscore that.
His own works were evil. That's what God says. But his
brothers Righteous. Righteous. That blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ is a righteous offering unto God. You see, the
best we can bring can produce nothing but vanity, filthy rags
of self-glory, and vain boasting. Our works, our deeds will never
satisfy God, nor will it ever put away our sin. Man in his
best state I mean on your best day. With your best thought. With your best clothes on. It's
vanity in God's sight. A preacher. What am I going to
do? Look to Christ. Look to the Lord
Jesus Christ. No need for the Lord Jesus Christ
to shed His blood if I can accomplish salvation by my doing. If I can
be my own priest, my own righteousness, my own mediator, and produce
a righteousness that God will accept, don't need Christ. Paul summed it up that way in
Galatians 2.21. If righteousness comes by the
law, then Christ is dead in vain. Secondly, Cain came unto the
Lord in a way that denied he was guilty before God and worthy
of death. He came to God in a way that
denied he was a sinner. Abel, when he came, he said,
this is what I deserve. He took that knife and stabbed
that animal. He said, that's what I deserve,
death, judgment. Cain didn't think he deserved
Condemnation. He denied he was a guilty sinner.
He denied he was worthy of death. Cain denied that he was a sinner,
denied that God was holy, who demanded perfection. Cain was
proud of his effort and fully expected, didn't he? He fully
expected for God to receive his offering. You know he did. That's why he was angry with
God. All Cain had merited was condemnation. Look down at verse 11 in this
story. Genesis chapter 4 verse 11. Now
art thou cursed from the earth. His offering brought no blessing. His offering, Brad, it only brought
judgment on him. You see that? He thought he merited
God's favor, but rather It brought condemnation. Have you fallen
into the error and sin of Cain? Woe unto them, as we read in
Jude 1 verse 11, woe unto them that have gone the way of Cain. Have you fallen into that error?
Thinking that, well, I'm a pretty good fellow. Yeah, I pay my bills,
I work hard. I attend church, well, at least
once in a while. Everything will be okay with me. If you don't
have a blood sacrifice, if you don't have a mediator, if you
don't have a high priest, if you don't have a righteousness
that's provided of God, depart from me, you workers of iniquity. Cain refused to come and worship
God. The only way a sinner can approach
God through the mediator of the Lord Jesus Christ, through the
high priest who obtained eternal redemption for us by his doing,
his dying. Listen, you cannot do business
with God apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. You can't do it. Can't do it. No man come to the
Father, the Lord said, but by me." Now, here's the second thing. Why did God have respect under
Abel's offering? Clearly, He did. Look at verse
4. Genesis 4, verse 4. And Abel,
he also brought of the firstling of his flock, and he brought
the fattest lamb he had. And he sacrificed that offering. We know it was a blood sacrifice.
And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering. To his offering. Abel is tied
to his offering. Tied to his offering. Now, several
things we know about Abel's offering. It was an offering that demonstrated
his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We read and we study this in
Hebrews chapter 11, remember? By faith Abel offered unto God
a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, remember? By which he obtained
witness that he was righteous. God testifying of his gifts,
and he being dead, yet Abel speaks concerning how God saved sinners.
Abel, like Abraham, believed God concerning the gospel, and
it was imputed to him for righteousness. You know anything about imputed
righteousness? Well, I thought I earned righteousness.
I thought righteousness was by what I did. No, no. Righteousness is by what Christ
has done. Blessed is the man whom the Lord
imputeth righteousness without works, without deeds. That's
the blessed man. So Abel came to God believing
God. Secondly, it was an offering
typical of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Lamb of God. Remember John, the forerunner
of Christ, identified the Lord Jesus Christ as, Behold, the
Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of God's elect in this
world. All those lambs that were including
that first animal sacrifice that God made on behalf of Adam and
Eve. All those lambs are typical and pointing to the Lamb of God
who came and fulfilled all that that foreshadowed and pictured.
The Lord Jesus Christ, in the end of the age, appeared to put
away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He is the Lamb of God. This lamb, like the Passover
lamb, the innocent dying in the place of the guilty. It was the
firstling of the flock which pictures the Lord Jesus Christ
as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The
firstborn of every creature. The firstborn from the dead.
The firstfruits of the dead. He was delivered for our offenses
and raised again for our justification. You see that? The firstling of
the flock. Speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ and His excellency,
His superiority, and the fact thereof, Abel brought the best
lamb, a lamb without blemish, a lamb without spot, typical
of the Lord Jesus Christ, our lamb foreordained before the
foundation of the world. It was a lamb that had to be
slain like the Passover lamb, because it It's recorded in Scripture.
It's the blood that makes atonement for the soul. Without the shedding
of blood, without the shedding of blood, there is no remission
for sin. None. I'm not talking about shedding
your blood. I'm talking about God bought
us with His own blood, the precious blood. We are redeemed with the
precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Third thing we know about
Abel's offering, it was an offering that confessed his sin before
God, owing that he was deserving of death. And every believer
has been taught of God that judgment is what we deserve. Now let me
ask you a personal question. If God sent you to hell, would
he do the right thing? If he sent me to hell, he'd be
right. Remember what David prayed? Lord, if you judge me, you'd
be right. You see, the wages of sin is death. Do you understand
that? That's what I deserve. That's what I've earned. That's
what I've merited. Judgment! Judgment! It's not what we want. but surely what we deserve. Therefore,
we gladly take our place before God as a mercy beggar and cry
unto the Lord, Lord, would you have mercy on me? I'm a sinner.
I'm guilty. I'm vile. I've sinned against
you. I'm worthy of death and eternal condemnation. Would you
have mercy on me for Christ's sake? That prayer will be heard. That prayer be answered. Whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Fourthly,
we know about Abel's offering. The Lord had respect. You see that in verse 4? The
Lord, Jehovah, had respect unto Abel and to that offering, that
blood sacrifice, that blood of the Lamb. The Lord received offering. The Lord had pleasure and delight
in the sacrifice because it pointed to the coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ. You remember we read in Ephesians
chapter 5 that the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ is a
sweet-smelling savor, aroma. It's satisfying unto the Lord
our God. Turn and let's read this together
one more time. Turn over here to Romans chapter
3. You see, the blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ is the
only way God can remain holy and just, and yet justify the
ungodly. The only way He can be a just
God and Savior. Romans 3, verse 23, All have sinned. You know, Granny,
she was such a nice old lady. She'd never done anything wrong.
I mean, she'd never been arrested. She'd never even had a speeding
ticket. Old Granny was so nice. Surely
that she wasn't a sinner. Yes, she was. All have sinned. Look at verse 10 in Romans 3.
There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after
God. They're all gone out of the way. They are together become
unprofitable. There is none that doeth good,
no, not one. All have sinned. All are sinners. And all have come short. Come
short of the glory of God. But here's our hope, being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God has set forth or ordained to be the propitiation,
to be the atonement for sin through faith in His blood. To declare
His righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through
the forbearance of the long-suffering of God. To declare, I say it
this time, His righteousness that He might be just and the
justifier of those who believe. You see, He justifies the ungodly. You know the Lord Jesus Christ
died. He didn't die for good folks.
Did you know that? Look right over here at Romans chapter 5.
Look at verse 6, "...for when we were yet without strength
and due time, Christ died for the..." What's that word? Ungodly. That includes me. That's my name. Ungodly. How do you know Christ
died for you? Well, there's my name. Right
there. Ungodly. That's me. That's the way I am
by nature. Choice in practice, sinner through
and through. You see, the only way God can
justify such a vile sinner as me is for the Lord Jesus Christ
to live a life I could not live, a life of faithfulness, obedience.
To die a death I could not die, putting away my sin, justifying
me by His blood. Now, look for a moment at the
results in our story of Cain and Abel. The sacrifice of Cain
yielded no comfort. God had no respect unto his offering. No comfort. No comfort. No comfort at all. The Lord said,
you remember what it said in verse 5, but unto Cain and to
his offering the Lord had no respect. Cain was very, very
angry and it showed on his face. He was angry. He was mad. You know what he's mad at? He
should have been mad at himself. He was angry at God for not accepting
his good works. You see, the sacrifice of Cain
yielded no comfort. Yielded no comfort at all. He
became angry. Cain was not angry with himself,
he was angry with his Maker, his Creator. And he's angry with
his brother. Jealous of his brother. He hated
his brother. He could not reach the throne
of God and pull him down. If he could have, he would have
murdered God. That's right. But he did get and his brother,
and he murdered his brother. You see, the point is, the religion
of works yields no comfort, no assurance, no peace in the heart. It will only add to your condemnation. Our Lord said to those Pharisees,
you are they that justify yourselves before men, but God knows your
heart. That which is highly esteemed
among men is an abomination in the sight of God. The way of
Cain will never satisfy God. It'll never give you peace or
assurance in your heart before God, only guilt, condemnation. Abel is declared in scripture
to be justified before God. I want you to turn and read this
with me. Turn to Matthew 23. Matthew 23. The Lord says of
Abel that he was justified. Matthew 23, Matthew 23, look at verse 34, Matthew 23
verse 34, I'll give you time to find it because this is critical
here. Abel is declared in Scripture
to be justified before God by God. Matthew 23, look at verse
34. Wherefore, behold, I send unto
you prophets, and wise men, and scribes, and some of them you
shall kill and crucify, and some of them you scourge in your synagogue,
and you persecute them from city to city, that upon you may come
all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood
of righteous Abel. God said of Abel, he was justified
before God, unto the blood of righteous Abel, unto the blood
of Zacharias, the son of Barakias, whom you slew between the temple
and the altar. God said of Abel, he was justified. declared not guilty, declared
righteous in the sight of God. You see, the way of grace yields
peace and comfort and assurance in our heart. Doesn't it? Being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ. Now think about this for a moment. It says there that Cain talked
with Abel, verse 8, his brother, and it came to pass when they
were in the field that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother,
and killed him. Killed him! He took a knife and
stabbed him in the heart. The first human blood shed on
this earth was over this vital issue How does God save a sinner? By
grace or by works? The battle still rages today.
The results are the same because God is the same. Sin is the same. Men are the same. The way of
eternal life and salvation through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ
is the same. The way of Cain still persecutes
the way of Abel, the way of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now,
turn to Jeremiah 17. Jeremiah 17. I'm going to ask
you this question while you're finding Jeremiah 17. Which way
are you going? You're going one of the two ways. The way of Cain or the way of
Abel. There's no middle ground. Our
Lord said, if you're not with me, you're against me. There's
no middle ground. Well, I'm just going to be neutral.
There's no neutral ground. You're either with the Lord or
you're against Him. Which way you're going? The way
of Cain? Do the best you can, it'll be
okay. Or the way of Abel? The way of grace revealed in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, may God be pleased to reveal
Himself unto us right now. Now, you've got Jeremiah 17,
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel. Jeremiah 17, verse 5, Thus saith
the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man. Now that's what Cain did, that
maketh flesh his arm, whose heart is departed from the Lord. For
he shall be like a heath in the desert, and shall not see when
good cometh, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
in the salt land not inhabited. That's the way of Cain. Cursed. Cursed is the man that trusteth
in the flesh. Oh, here's that blessed man again.
Verse 7. Blessed is the man that trusteth
in the Lord. That's what Abel did. Whose hope
is in the Lord. He shall be as a tree planted
by the waters that spread out her roots by the river, and shall
not see when the heat comes. But her leaves shall be green,
and shall not be careful or anxious in the year of drought, neither
shall cease from yielding fruit." The way of the flesh came, the
way of grace, the way of Abel, revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ.