Tuesday 8 January 2013

My Punishment Is Greater Than I Can Bear

My Punishment Is Greater Than I Can Bear
Genesis 4:1-17

Cain’s Sin

• Cain’s first sin was offering and unacceptable sacrifice which was not offered by faith and thus rejected
o By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. (Hebrew 11:4)
• Cain’s second sin was to dishonour God

• Cain’s third sin was pride

• Cain’s fourth sin was selfishness

• Cain’s fifth sin was covetousness (he coveted Abel’s acceptance)

• Cain’s sixth sin was anger

• Cain’s seventh sin was hatred

• Cain’s eighth sin was the cold blooded murder of his brother Abel

• Cain’s ninth sin was to dishonour his father and mother

• Cain’s tenth sin was lying to God

o We sin multiple times against God in our lives. There is no hiding from this fact for our sins cry out against us.

Cain’s Punishment
• God Punished Cain for his crimes
• Cain was bitterly cursed from the earth
• Cain was to be a fugitive and a vagabond (an outcast) for the rest of his life
• Cain’s sin completely disrupted his life

o God’s punishment for our sins is just

Cain’s Reaction
• Cain never apologises or asks forgiveness for the murder of Abel
• Cain complains to God that his punishment is greater than he can bear
• Cain builds a city in direct rebellion to the will and word of God
• Cain’s punishment may have been greater than he could bear but it did not change his behaviour in the least.

o God’s punishment is indeed greater than we can bear. But will the prospect of eternal punishment in hell be enough for us to allow God to change our behaviour through the shed blood of the Lamb of God without blemish and without spot, that is Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.