Good evening.  Let’s just start our time with a word of prayer.

As a way of looking ahead, tonight we are going to get through chapters 4 & 5.  Then next week, I am going to try and get through chapters 6-9.  Now before you go crazy with that, most of that section of 6-9 deals with the flood, so it is possible to make it that far.

But as we begin tonight, a have a couple of questions to open up with.  First, who was someone that you envied as a child, and why that person?

Okay, and would you say that when it comes to anger, would you have a short or a long fuse?

Okay, well let’s go ahead and jump into our first chapter for tonight.  The first 2 keys deal with chapter 4, and in this chapter we are introduced to Cain and Able.  Go ahead and read the first 2 keys at this time.  (Read)

Now this is a tragic story about the first murder.  It is especially sad because it was done with deliberate deceit against a brother and against a good man.  As a result of Abel’s sacrifices being pleasing and accepted by God and Cain’s sacrifice being rejected by God, Cain is consumed by a deep anger, which he projects onto his brother in a murderous rage.

Near the beginning of this passage we find Cain’s offering was not accepted, but that Abel’s offering was.  Why do you think that is?  (Able brought the first, blood)

Well, as we think about this chapter I think that we can see that Satan is a serpent that deceives and a lion that devours, and we can read that in I Peter 5:8-9.  He used Eve to tempt Adam, and Cain to destroy Abel.  The 2 “seeds” of Genesis come into a conflict, for Cain was a child of the devil, while Abel was a child of God.  Turn with me to I John 3:10-12.  Here we read about Cain.  Here in I John 3:10-12 it says, “1”

And in Matthew 23:35 we read that Abel was righteous.  But, like his father, the devil, Cain was a liar and a murderer.  The marks of God’s children are faith, hope, and love as it talks about in I Corinthians 13:13.  On the other side of the spectrum, the marks of the devil’s seed are unbelief, deceit, and hatred.  And each of these are evident in the life of Cain, and that is what I want to look at for a moment.

First, is unbelief.  You can see a hint of this in verses 1-7.  When God killed animals and clothed Adam and Eve, He taught the significance of blood sacrifices.  In fact in the New Testament, in Hebrews 9:22 it says, “2”

Cain brought the wrong sacrifice in his hands, and he had the wrong attitude in his heart as well.  His was not a sacrifice of faith, and God rejected it.  God also warned Can that sin was lying at his door, waiting to pounce on him.  And Cain did not believe God.  So Cain had an unbelief in God, and that is a mark of the devil’s children.

Why do you think that Cain went on and murdered his brother Abel?

Second, in verse 8 we see the signs of hatred.  Cain’s anger slowly became envy and then hatred, and then it led to murder.  I think that a thing we can learn here is that when you play with temptation, sooner or later you will get caught.  It started out small for Cain, but it ended with him murdering his own brother.  So we see that hatred is a sign of the devil’s children.

And finally, we see a sense of deceit in verses 9-24.  Why do you think that God approached Cain in the way that He did?

Why not directly accuse Cain of murdering his brother?

Why do you think God delayed Cain’s punishment?

Had Cain been honest with God, do you think that it would have changed things?

God’s question to Adam and Eve was, “Where are you?”  His question to Cain was, “Where is Abel, your brother?”  Do we know where our brothers and sisters are?  Do we even care?  Or are we making excuses just like Cain did?

Do you think that Cain was repentant of his sin?  Why or why not?

Now God finally curses a man, but Cain was not convicted about his sin, he was concerned only about his punishment.  Cain’s unbelief, hatred, and deceit destroyed every relationship in his life: his relationship with his brother, God, himself, and the world around him.

But, as we end that chapter we have a little glimpse of hope.  In verses 25 & 26 we find that God gave Adam and Eve another son, Seth, who would carry on the godly line.  Now, as we wrap this chapter up, I have a few questions to help us to apply this passage in our own lives.  These are some personal question just to get us thinking about ourselves in this story.

Have you ever felt like Cain?  When and why?

How do you typically react when you are angry?

What have you found helpful in dealing with your anger?

Well, here are a few steps to controlling anger that can be found in the Bible.  First, ask God to help you control your anger.  It speaks of this in Proverbs 15:18, 16:32.  Second, we need to love those who offend us.  That is found in Matthew 5:43-48.  And finally, we need to learn how to practice forgiveness.  And that is in Ephesians 4:26-32.

And the last question I have from this section is, are you your brothers keeper, and how so?

Does anyone have anything that they would like to add about this chapter?

Okay, then if there is nothing else, on to chapter 5.  Now in this chapter we move from Adam to Noah.  Before we read this chapter, Who are you most curious about in your family tree?

Okay, let’s read chapter 5, go ahead and read the last 2 keys.  (Read)

Now, this chapter doesn’t really have a whole lot of meat to it, so we won’t spend a long time with it.  What purpose do genealogies serve?

Well, the Old Testament is “the book of the genealogies of Adam.”  It tells us about Adam’s descendants, and it is not always a happy story.  In fact, it ends with the words, “lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

The New Testament is “the book of the genealogies of Jesus.”  Before it ends, it declares, “and there shall be no more curse.”  The first Adam brought the curse, the last Adam bore the curse.  Adam’s sin caused thorns to grow, but Jesus wore those thorns as a crown.

What truth is uncovered by the words, “and then he died.”?

8 times in chapter 5 you find those sobering words.  Death is an appointment, not and accident.  Now I told you we were not going to spend much time here in Genesis chapter 5, so as we close, I have a few application type questions to end with.

How many of you have a family tree that really goes back a long ways?

Why do you suppose genealogies are less important today then they were to people in Biblical times?

As we look at the genealogies, what is the best thing that we can learn from them?  (The past does not mean that the future has to be the same) (Bad people, and then good)

What type of mark are you putting on your family tree?  Child of God, or child of the evil one?

Does anyone have anything that they would like to add about chapter 5?

Well if there is nothing else, I am going to close with a word of prayer, and then you are dismissed.  To get ready for next week, try and read through Genesis chapters 6-9.  I know it is a lot, but I think that we can do it.

Let’s Pray