Envy: A Murderous Path Sermon Series: A Look at the Seven Deadly Sins Genesis 4:12

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1 Envy: A Murderous Path Sermon Series: A Look at the Seven Deadly Sins Genesis 4:12 Rev. Michael D. Halley October 2 2, 2017 Suffolk Christian Church Suffol k, Virginia Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Seven Deadly Sins are pride envy anger sloth (laziness) greed gluttony, and lust (I have put these in a little different order from last week.) This list had its origin in the early fathers of the church. You will also find in the Bible, in Proverbs 6: , and in Galatians 5: , similar lists of sins that God especially hates. So, we are taking a few Sundays to look at this traditional list of sins and how we can deal with them and overcome them in our lives. What is sin? It is missing the mark. It is failing to please God. It is living your life under your decisions and control and not God s. It is disobeying God. And that is what we find in this wonderful story we just read about. Last week I challenged you to pray each day that God would give you

2 humility. I do hope you had a good talk with God each day about the role of pride in your life. Today we look at envy. Don t you just love these stories in the book of Genesis? Ancient stories, no doubt passed orally and then finally compiled and written down. Great wisdom and insight into the human heart and mind. Page 2 Cain and Abel, of course, were brothers, the first children of Adam and Eve. In this brief snapshot into their lives there is much we are not told, such as, were they close as brothers? Did they get along? Was there mutual respect between them? How and what did their parents teach them about proper respect to God? So in this brief snapshot into their lives, we are told that both brothers brought an offering to the Lord. Cain brought the product of his labor as a farmer. We are not told specifically what he brought, but we assume vegetables and such. Abel, being a herdsman, brought some animals from his flock. He chose some of his best sheep and brought the best parts from them 3. The first thing we notice is that Abel s offering is specifically described and Cain s is not described in any detail. Abel s was accepted, Cain s was not. Now we have come upon a bit of a mystery. Why was one offering accepted and the other was not? 4 This question goes to the heart of this story, as it was the immediate cause of the tremendous envy that Cain harbored in his heart. What makes an acceptable offering? Not just for Cain and Abel, but for me and you? What is acceptable in God s sight? Scholars have pondered this question, and many of them point to the

3 Page 3 fact that Abel s offering was a blood offering. At this point in history the sacrificial system had not been developed. But when the law was given to Moses, it required the shedding of blood. This is re-stated in the book of Hebrews, chapter 9 verse 22: the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Does that explain God s decision? Or, was it something else? Was the produce the best that Cain had raised? Did Cain hold back from God? What was his attitude in his heart? Did he come to God in humility and true sorrow for his sins? We cannot know, but it is food for thought, nonetheless. One other factor I dare raise. God is sovereign. God possesses ultimate power and authority. Therefore, God alone chooses which offering is accepted and which is not. He does not have to operate by any standards that humans have set for him, or in accordance with human expectations. He does not have to answer to human beings for his actions. He is God! 5 However, while God is sovereign, God is not capricious. To be capricious is to be impulsive or unpredictable. God is certainly not like that. God always acts from purpose and plan, with compassion. And, we should remember that acceptable gifts to God should be given with the proper attitude of heart. Saint Paul, in 1 Corinthians 9:7 says, Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (By the way, one commentator said that God will also accept gifts from a grouch!) Listen to this, from the Living Bible 6 : This [rejection of his gift] made Cain both dejected and very angry, and his face grew dark with fury. Why are you angry? the Lord asked him. Why is your face so dark with rage? It can be bright with joy if you will do what you should! But if you refuse to

4 obey, watch out. Sin is waiting to attack you, longing to destroy you. But you can conquer it! (Genesis 4:6-7, LB) But Cain took matters into his own hand, traveling down that murderous path called envy. And by the way, envy and jealousy are not the same thing. Envy is wanting what another has and jealousy is the fear of losing what one has. We know the rest of the story. Lured out into the field, Cain killed his brother. Thank God I am not like that! I am sure we have all said that at one time or another. And, yes, I don t think any of us would let envy grip us so tightly that we would ever take such a dark path. So, what does all this mean to you and to me? Obey God and treat our brothers and sisters with love and respect. How do we do that? Listen again to what Jesus says. He said that only the one who loses his life would really find it. He talks about becoming the servant of others. He talks about taking up our cross and following him. He talks of caring for other brothers and sisters by meeting their needs. Then Saint Paul adds his thought, when he called for the Philippian Christians to put other people s interests ahead of their own self-interest. Page 4 And John identified love for one another as the mark of a true Christian. He wrote, If any one says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also. (1 John 4:20-21) What do you suppose the world would look like if we actually went out

5 this week and took Jesus teaching to heart and began to live that way? What would the world look like if we lived as St. Paul says we should and put others needs and interests before our own? And God help us if we proclaim our love for God and then not love our brothers and sisters. When God asked Cain about his brother Abel, his response was How should I know? Am I his babysitter? That s how The Message 7 renders his response. Am I my brother s keeper? Well, yes, we are our brother s and our sister s keeper. This is a dangerous world and there is lots of suffering and pain. Poverty, ignorance, violence, and disease plague our world. Who will step up to be a part of the solution? Remember that James said that faith without works is dead. The voice of your brother s blood is calling to me from the ground, God told Cain. (Genesis 4:10, MSG) Page 5 There may be a bit of Cain in all of us. But the good news is that we can overcome by God s grace the sin that is always waiting at the door. When I was in college and doing my student teaching, I looked to the book of Proverbs for instruction. I found this, in the third chapter: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. It goes on to say, Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Open your heart to God s love. Believe in God s promise to lift you up. Let us pray together:

6 Page 6 Heavenly Father, all praise and honor and glory are Yours. We confess that we are sometimes envious of others. The grass seems to be greener and more lush on the other side, but we must live where You have placed us. May we rejoice in the successes of others. May we be glad when others do well and celebrate with them. May we live humble and holy lives, lives of compassion and caring and holy love for others. May Your Holy Spirit teach us daily the things of Christ, that we may be channels of Your glory and righteousness. Amen. Amen. +==+==+==+==+==+==+ All Scripture references are from New International Version, NIV, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, by Biblica, Inc., unless otherwise indicated. +==+==+==+==+==+==+ Sunday Sermons from Suffolk Christian Church are intended for the private devotional use of members and friends of the church. Please do not print or publish. Thank you. Suggestions for sermon topics are always welcome! 1. The sins listed are: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who stirs up conflict in the community. 2. The sins listed are: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.

7 3. Genesis 4:4, Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) copyright 2006 by Bible League International. Page 7 4. See Jared Jackson s article, Why Was Cain s Sacrifice Rejected?, at ChristianCourier.com A related article, written by Wayne Jackson, What Was the Nature of Cain s Sin?, at ChristianCourier.com, 5. Quoted from God Won t Fit in My Box: Cain and Abel, by Dennis Bratcher, Christian Resource Institute, 6. The Living Bible (LB), copyright 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. 7. The Message (MSG), copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson