Worship call 0710 Whose side are you on?

Genesis 4:3–12 (NASB95) — 3 So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lordof the fruit of the ground. 4 Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lordhad regard for Abel and for his offering; 5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” 8 Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. 11 “Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 “When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.”

Matthew 5:21–22 (NASB95) — 21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ 22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

How easy is it to judge a brother or a sister, looking down upon them because they do not meet your standard or your criteria?

How easy is it to verbally run down another with the tongue, to malign, gospel about?

Who is not guilty of this crime against another at some point in one’s life?

And when I am angry with my brother. When I run him down to others, in the spirit of him being worthless and good for nothing, that kind of behavior does not take place in the light but aligned with the darkness and in my heart, I have already committed murder.

Who murders those who are pals? Would we desire to do harm to those whom we love? No, it is those whom we find displeasure with, that we are angry with and even hate so much that we could do bodily harm to.

When we are born again, we become the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:12 (NASB95) — 12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. Christ Loves his own body.

The very one whom God loves to the depths that we could never love, and He loved so much that He gave his only begotten son that the one may have eternal life, and that this one is adopted into the family of God, by hating another I have become the Cain who kills his righteous brother, Abel, in my own heart.

For sure Satan hates the righteous. Cain was the willing accomplice of Satan when he took his brother’s life.

Satan hates to the depths of the pits of hell those who belong to the Lord. those whom the Lord has called into his family.

Are we not ourselves serving as accomplices of Satan, hating our bother as Satan is hating. While we should be partnering with the Lord, partakers of the kingdom, who are we actually partnering with in our hatred toward our brother?

My brother has other enemies, other than Satan. Others who certainly are part of the kingdom of Darkness. Satan’s Angels are teamed up, despising my brother and seeking to tear him down. It is also the world who hates my brother that works tirelessly to destroy him and his spiritual life, putting out his light that it might not shine in the world.

Matthew 5:10–12 (NASB95) — 10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

Which side are you on?

Are you the one being persecuted for the Sake of righteousness or are you the persecutor?

Whose side are you on when you hate your brother to the point of murdering him? Whose bidding are you doing? Yes, Satan’s, his angels, and the world (cosmic system)

Are you a child of light or a child of darkness.

What was the consequence that Cain suffered for murdering his brother?

Genesis 4:11–14 (NASB95) — 11 “Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 “When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is too great to bear! 14 “Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

Did not the Lord Avenge the death of Abel when he exiled Cain from his presence?

The sin of murder holds the greatest of consequences. That is if a man takes another man’s life, his life shall also be taken. Gen 9:6; Ex 21:12–14; Lev 24:17; Num 35:33; Matt 26:52[1]

Matthew 5:22 (NASB95) — 22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

As it was that Adam lived in a geographical garden in the east of Eden, we as believers have our own spiritual garden which we are to keep and cultivate it and where we have a perfect relationship with our Lord.

1 John 1:5–7 (NASB95) — 5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

It is in the light where we have koinonia fellowship with one another and with Christ. when we sin, we are no longer in the light, but we are now walking in darkness, outside and away from the presence of God. The Longer the believer remains walking in darkness the further he goes into exile, the more desolate his spiritual land becomes. The Longer we remain in the darkness the more we associate with those who reside in the darkness, we become associated with other murderers and mock God’s grace.

Genesis 4:23–24 (NASB95) — 23 Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, Listen to my voice, You wives of Lamech, Give heed to my speech, For I have killed a man for wounding me; And a boy for striking me; 24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

Do we know what happened to Cain?

We know he eventually died and so did his children and their children. And when the flood came Cain’s entire legacy was wiped away.

We don’t consider our anger with our brother no big deal when we go about being angry at him and calling him a good for nothing accrediting him and his life of no value and that that life can be in turn discarded thrown way.

While we may not loose our eternal life we can ourselves become subject to God’s discipline (Hebrews 12) even to the point where the Lord takes us our sin unto death being so deserving to share the wrath of the angels in Gehenna we none the less are taken our of this life.

OH, we must guard our gardens and watch over it so closely.

Hebrews 12:14–15 (NASB95) — 14 Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

Is there a way back from the sin of hatred?

Yes, it is called repentance, a change of mind.

It is turning back to the ordinance of the Lord.

Matthew 5:23–24 (NASB95) — 23 “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). The Lockman Foundation.

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