A Cain Moment A. Last week we talked about the Lord coming to Cain & finding him in a very depressed mood. 1. The reason? His offering had been rejected by the LORD, & his brother s accepted. 2. Well, the LORD told him that he could overcome his depression if he would do well. 3. But if he didn t, sin was crouching at the door & its desire was for him. 4. We also talked about how there was some-one else at that door too: the LORD God. 5. And by doing well, Cain would be letting God back into his life; it was his choice. B. So Cain was facing a decision, but more than that, a life changing moment. 1. He could move ahead against the Lord s advice. 2. Or, he could lay down his weapon of malice & surrender himself to God. 3. There was moment between Genesis 4 verses 7 and 8, in which Cain could have turned his life around. 4. But rather, what he chose to do was to stay on his present course. 5. He had two choices; & they are the same ones we have when we find that our lives are out of harmony with God s will: Rebel or Repent! a. The Jews faced that life-changing moment (Acts 2:38; 3:19). First century Gentiles (Acts 11:18). Everyone, everywhere (Acts 17:30). 1
C. The Lord was very gentle with Cain when He called him to repentance. 1. You know, at those times in our lives, the last thing we need is someone beating us down more than we are (cf. Gal 6:1). 2. So the Lord is just as gentle today in calling us to repent of wrong choices. 2 Peter 3:9 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. [Today we want to consider the importance God placed on that moment in Cain s life when he had a decision to make & made the wrong one, because we will face many moments like that. Yet we must be prepared to make a better decision that he did (Rom 3:23; 6:23). Cain had a long stretch of life still ahead of him. We on the other hand do not. Neither do we know the time of the Lords return in judgment. This makes it all the more important for us to study - repentance - again.] I. DEFINITION OF REPENTANCE A. Paul wrote the letter of 1 st Corinthians because there was a great need for repentance. 1. Oh yes, we know about the brother having relations with his step mother, but there were many other problems in the church. B. Before we go any further, repentance means to have a change of mind, [but more than that] it means to change [implying action]. 1. Simon repented of a thought (Acts 8:22), & learned to have different thoughts. 2. The Thessalonians repented of idolatry & turned to the living & true God, to wait for His Son from heaven (1 Thess 1:8-10). 2
3. The prodigal son came to himself & went back to his father (Luke 15:17-20). a. These words indicate the action of repentance. C. Repentance is not just a good feeling we get about God s longsuffering nature & His willingness to forgive sinners: IT S A DECISION! 1. A decision marked by action. 2. Action marked by the counsel of the Lord (remember Cain?) a. He didn t repent, because he didn t follow the Lord s counsel (clear as it was). 3. Emotions may indeed help us make a right decision, but being emotional, sorrowful, regretful is not repentance. a. If Cain had said humbly, You re right LORD thank you for reminding me. I m so glad to have you in my life. b. But then he went ahead & killed Abel or got drunk or committed adultery. Did he repent? [Apologies & tearful regrets (alone) will not restore a sinner back into God s favor.] II. SIGNS OF REPENTANCE A. How can we know when there is repentance? 1. There is a single passage that captures much of what repentance is all about. 3
2 Corinthians 7:11 11 For behold what earnestness [diligence it produced in you] this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication [clearing] of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing [vehement desire] what zeal, what avenging of wrong [vindication]! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. a. Diligence (kjv: carefulness) eager to make the right decision. b. Vindication (nkjv: clearing) an apology or plea for forgiveness. c. Indignation bitter hatred for the sin. d. Fear fear of consequences; deliver such a one to Satan (1 Cor 5:5) e. Longing (nkjv: vehement desire) to be right with God. f. Zeal burning desire to take action. g. Avenging of wrong (nkjv: vindication) to be justified or found innocent. [Now I haven t forgotten about godly sorrow ; we ll come back to that. But these words describe change. Now where did Cain miss the boat? Did he have any of these traits?] III. PROCESS OF REPENTANCE A. But Cain had the same opportunity to change that we all have. 1. And you know where it began? It began with the counsel of God B. For the Corinthians, it was Paul s letter that turned them around. 2 Corinthians 7:8 8 For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while 4
1. Their case was very similar to Cain s. a. There was sin, there was unhappiness, & there was disharmony. b. There was the word of God, there was understanding, there was conviction, but in their case there was repentance. 2 Cor 7:9-10 For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow [NASU: sorrow that is according to the will of God] produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. 2. The sorrow of the world is concerned only with the effect of sin on self. (Judas) 3. Godly sorrow is concerned with the love of God & how our sins affect Him & what our sins cost Him. (Peter) C. People sometimes divide their sins into big ones & little ones? 1. Because they re too concerned with how their sins affect them personally. 2. But a godly man knows that his sins deeply affect & grieve God & His desire to have fellowship with us. D. David is one of our best examples of godly sorrow leading to rep. (Psa 51:1-4; 32:3-7). 1. He was finally willing to change, but only after he saw that his sins were personally destructive, & worse than that, an insult to the Holiness of God. 2. Yes, he sinned against Bathsheba, Uriah & Israel, but his first thought was that he sinned against God...he had let Him down...he had disappointed Him. 5
3. And I know it doesn t seem right that he would marry the woman with whom he committed adultery. a. But her husband was dead & David had a moral obligation to her. (He paid for his sins in other ways.) [How did this repentance come about for David?] E. David was led to repentance in the same way as Cain & the Corinthian church. 1. He heard the counsel of God; this time it was the prophet Nathan. 2. And Nathan didn t cut David any slack (2 Sam 12:1-15). I m not saying he was rude - just blunt. a. Nathan indicted, reminded, accused & warned him; it was time for bluntness -- It always is where sin is involved (R 6:23). [You know, we can come to the point & be kind too. When we do, we are more likely to see repentance & to hear the response David gave (12:13).] CLOSING A. God has brought us to this place, this day & this hour to counsel us on repentance. 1. If you are not following Jesus Christ, you need to change your mind about Him. Acts 4:12 12 "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Mark 16:16) 1 John 5:11-12 11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, & this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 6
7 2. If you are trying to follow Him & see unrepented sin in your life, now is the time to correct that (this is a Cain moment).