Creekside Church, Sunday, Oct 27, 2024
Other's Keeper?
Locations & Times
Creekside Church
660 Conservation Dr, Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z4, Canada
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:30 AM
PSALM 133
1 Look! How good and how pleasant it is
when brothers truly live in unity.
2 It is like fine oil poured on the head,
which flows down the beard—
Aaron’s beard,
and then flows down his garments.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which flows down upon the hills of Zion.
Indeed, that is where the Lord has decreed
a blessing will be available—eternal life.
----------
These stories in Genesis tap into the human experience.
It's like they know us.
They are like a mirror.
----------
GENESIS 4:1-16 (NET)
1 Now the man was intimate with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, “I have created a man just as the Lord did!” 2 Then she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground.
3 At the designated time Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an offering to the Lord. 4 But Abel brought some of the firstborn of his flock—even the fattest of them. And the Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering, 5 but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. So Cain became very angry, and his expression was downcast.
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your expression downcast? 7 Is it not true that if you do what is right, you will be fine? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it.”
8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” And he replied, “I don’t know! Am I my brother’s guardian?” 10 But the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! 11 So now you are banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you try to cultivate the ground it will no longer yield its best for you. You will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.”
13 Then Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is too great to endure! 14 Look, you are driving me off the land today, and I must hide from your presence. I will be a homeless wanderer on the earth; whoever finds me will kill me!” 15 But the Lord said to him, “All right then, if anyone kills Cain, Cain will be avenged seven times as much.” Then the Lord put a special mark on Cain so that no one who found him would strike him down. 16 So Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
----------
Verse 1 - "I have created a man, jus as the Lord did." - Like saying, look, we're like God! We're gonna be okay.
Verse 2 - Abel = hevel = vapour, and he will only live a few verses.
Abel was a shepherd
Cain was a farmer
Organized agriculture associated with empires in the Bible. Think, autonomy, slave labor, increased human evil
Shepherds = outsiders – God tends to choose them, refers to himself as one
Verse 3 – "at the designated time?" Apparently a lot more has happened than we're told.
Verse 4-5 - "gazed upon…and did not gaze upon"
Why does God gaze upon Able and not Cain?
Later in the New Testament you’ll get the portrayal of Abel’s offering was better and Cain was evil. But this story doesn't say that.
Maybe the extra detail given to Abel’s offering is a clue that his was better.
Or maybe it’s just God’s freedom to choose, like he does throughout the Bible.
**There is more here than just Cain failed and now he’s angry.
Cain is experiencing the complexities of having a brother.
The complexities of life with other humans.
In the last chapter, it was too hard to live on God’s terms.
Now, a new complexity has arrived in the form of the other.
Brothers will dominate the narrative of Genesis for the second half of the book (Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers).
----------
Verse 6 - "Why are you angry?"
Interesting that God is there. He hasn’t abandoned humanity.
Reminds me of the story of the angry older brother in the prodigal son parable. The Father goes out to the angry older brother.
The God who comes to us when we are angry and downcast.
Verse 7 - "you must rule it"
Genesis Chapter 1 – "fill the earth and subdue it...rule over the water, sky and land creatures"
Will you rule or be ruled?
----------
What do you do when you get angry at someone else?
Talk to God. Hear him ask the question, "Why are you angry?" What's really going on? Slow things down and investigate your emotions. What's true and false?
Ask questions about your emotions.
What would be right and good to do?
Matthew 5:21-26 - Jesus shows us what it means to rule over our emotions and the sin that would like to trap us.
----------
What do you do when you sense the croucher?
In those moments when you face it…do you rule?
You weren’t created to be ruled.
Will you step into your identity? Or find a shadow to hide in?
You must/can – you are able to subdue it.
Command and a promise?
This isn't mission impossible.
----------
Verse 9 – echoes of chapter 3 – “Where are you?”
“What have you done?”
Verse 13-16
God of justice and mercy
A sign – what it was, lots of guesses – again the text doesn’t say
"When God confronts humanity’s evil, he usually brings justice while also showing mercy. And he marks this distinction by means of a sign, a symbol that itself communicates the meaning of the event on a deep level." - (Paraphrase Tim Mackie)
The sign would have a been a reminder to Cain – I killed my brother…but I’m still breathing…
The cross is a sign for us of the same mercy and justice.
Except with the cross, God pays for the consequences of our sin and leaves us the mercy.
----------
Questions to Face in the Mirror:
1. Is there any division between you and another where you need to seek peace? Anyone you need to forgive?
2. Where is sin crouching at your door and you are failing to rule it?
1 Look! How good and how pleasant it is
when brothers truly live in unity.
2 It is like fine oil poured on the head,
which flows down the beard—
Aaron’s beard,
and then flows down his garments.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which flows down upon the hills of Zion.
Indeed, that is where the Lord has decreed
a blessing will be available—eternal life.
----------
These stories in Genesis tap into the human experience.
It's like they know us.
They are like a mirror.
----------
GENESIS 4:1-16 (NET)
1 Now the man was intimate with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, “I have created a man just as the Lord did!” 2 Then she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground.
3 At the designated time Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an offering to the Lord. 4 But Abel brought some of the firstborn of his flock—even the fattest of them. And the Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering, 5 but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. So Cain became very angry, and his expression was downcast.
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your expression downcast? 7 Is it not true that if you do what is right, you will be fine? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it.”
8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” And he replied, “I don’t know! Am I my brother’s guardian?” 10 But the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! 11 So now you are banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you try to cultivate the ground it will no longer yield its best for you. You will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.”
13 Then Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is too great to endure! 14 Look, you are driving me off the land today, and I must hide from your presence. I will be a homeless wanderer on the earth; whoever finds me will kill me!” 15 But the Lord said to him, “All right then, if anyone kills Cain, Cain will be avenged seven times as much.” Then the Lord put a special mark on Cain so that no one who found him would strike him down. 16 So Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
----------
Verse 1 - "I have created a man, jus as the Lord did." - Like saying, look, we're like God! We're gonna be okay.
Verse 2 - Abel = hevel = vapour, and he will only live a few verses.
Abel was a shepherd
Cain was a farmer
Organized agriculture associated with empires in the Bible. Think, autonomy, slave labor, increased human evil
Shepherds = outsiders – God tends to choose them, refers to himself as one
Verse 3 – "at the designated time?" Apparently a lot more has happened than we're told.
Verse 4-5 - "gazed upon…and did not gaze upon"
Why does God gaze upon Able and not Cain?
Later in the New Testament you’ll get the portrayal of Abel’s offering was better and Cain was evil. But this story doesn't say that.
Maybe the extra detail given to Abel’s offering is a clue that his was better.
Or maybe it’s just God’s freedom to choose, like he does throughout the Bible.
**There is more here than just Cain failed and now he’s angry.
Cain is experiencing the complexities of having a brother.
The complexities of life with other humans.
In the last chapter, it was too hard to live on God’s terms.
Now, a new complexity has arrived in the form of the other.
Brothers will dominate the narrative of Genesis for the second half of the book (Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers).
----------
Verse 6 - "Why are you angry?"
Interesting that God is there. He hasn’t abandoned humanity.
Reminds me of the story of the angry older brother in the prodigal son parable. The Father goes out to the angry older brother.
The God who comes to us when we are angry and downcast.
Verse 7 - "you must rule it"
Genesis Chapter 1 – "fill the earth and subdue it...rule over the water, sky and land creatures"
Will you rule or be ruled?
----------
What do you do when you get angry at someone else?
Talk to God. Hear him ask the question, "Why are you angry?" What's really going on? Slow things down and investigate your emotions. What's true and false?
Ask questions about your emotions.
What would be right and good to do?
Matthew 5:21-26 - Jesus shows us what it means to rule over our emotions and the sin that would like to trap us.
----------
What do you do when you sense the croucher?
In those moments when you face it…do you rule?
You weren’t created to be ruled.
Will you step into your identity? Or find a shadow to hide in?
You must/can – you are able to subdue it.
Command and a promise?
This isn't mission impossible.
----------
Verse 9 – echoes of chapter 3 – “Where are you?”
“What have you done?”
Verse 13-16
God of justice and mercy
A sign – what it was, lots of guesses – again the text doesn’t say
"When God confronts humanity’s evil, he usually brings justice while also showing mercy. And he marks this distinction by means of a sign, a symbol that itself communicates the meaning of the event on a deep level." - (Paraphrase Tim Mackie)
The sign would have a been a reminder to Cain – I killed my brother…but I’m still breathing…
The cross is a sign for us of the same mercy and justice.
Except with the cross, God pays for the consequences of our sin and leaves us the mercy.
----------
Questions to Face in the Mirror:
1. Is there any division between you and another where you need to seek peace? Anyone you need to forgive?
2. Where is sin crouching at your door and you are failing to rule it?