"If you see difficulties, you are not looking at Christ."
How is your eyesight these days, dear lady? Are you in the habit of seeing
difficulties MORE than Christ, more than a way out of them? If it were
true, would you admit that you have a tendency to make things more complicated
than they really are? When one is considered complex, he is thought to
be intimately entangled, twisted together with the notions of a confused
knowledge. Such internal composition fills one with perplexity and results
in complications of all sorts! Therefore, it is inevitable that simplicity
would be tossed aside along with clarity of heart and mind in search of
one's own understanding. Hence, the road of unnecessary difficulty is
traveled. Such was the case with Cain as we will see in our study today...
Genesis 4:1-6, "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare
Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bare
his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller
of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought
of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also
brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the
Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his
offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance
fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy
countenance fallen?"
One of the first clues of complication setting in is a fallen countenance.
Ladies, God never misses an action, an attitude, or even a dirty look
that comes across our face but He will deal directly with it! Yes, the
Lord knew full well the difficulty that Cain was having with Abel's offering.
He was also fully aware that Cain's attitude had become dangerously angry
toward his brother. It was at this point the Lord intervened.... The problem
was that Cain had a confused knowledge as to what type of offering God
would accept. His beliefs were composed of two parts twisted together
- God's way mixed with what HE thought should be acceptable.
Cain was perplexed in his thinking and it had complicated his living in
many ways, as we shall discover. The Lord proceeds to untangle Cain's
thoughts by presenting the plain and simple truth, but he arrogantly ignored
God and chose to confront
Abel instead....
Vs. 7-8, "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou
doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire,
and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and
it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against
Abel his brother, and slew him."
What a mess complicated thinking produces, amen? Now Cain really had himself
entangled - not just inwardly but outwardly! God told him what he needed
to do. Unfortunately, he resisted God's way out and yielded to his own
feelings of anger and envy. He had become a murderer of his own brother
by refusing to acknowledge the simple remedy God had clearly presented
him with! What began with a dirty look ended with a dirty deed, amen?
Yes, Abel died of Cain's complications...
Ladies, besides your own life, the life of your family members stands
to suffer when you refuse to acknowledge the Lord. Sin lieth at the door
- that's how close it is to all of us! You must yield your complicated
notions to God and His Word if you would untangle yourself from the devil's
devices in your life and uncomplicate your affairs. There is a right way
and a wrong way of doing things, like it or not. Nobody made Cain's way
difficult but himself and he was most miserable! However, God visited
him again, making another attempt to help sort out his complicated situation...
Vs. 9, "And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Able thy brother? And he
said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?"
Notice the irreverence Cain uses when responding to the Lord! Here God
had presented him with an opportunity to admit his sin, to confess it
and repent, yet
Cain further complicates things for himself in refusing to acknowledge
the truth that he murdered his brother. As a result of his twisted thinking,
he claims ignorance and innocence... Life would be so simple for Cain
if he just accepted God's help!
How about your life, dear lady?? Are you unnecessarily diving deep into
difficulty through your irreverence for the Lord? If so, things will only
get worse!!
Genesis 4:10-13, "And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's
blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the
earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from
thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield
unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the
earth. And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can
bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth;
and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond
in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me
shall slay me."
The ultimate distortion is when after killing his own brother Cain accuses
God of being too harsh, blaming Him for driving him out! The way of transgressors
is hard, but it's not God's fault, amen? Have you ever blamed God for
complicating your life?? We join Cain in the same accusations when we
object to the Lord, for we are no less criminal than he is! Ladies, the
Lord has done nothing but try to help Cain with outstretched hand and
reason with him, but he refused God. Now, all that he achieved through
a lifetime of farming was wiped away - all his knowledge, his skill, the
tools he designed, and the fruit of his labor would be no more - it all
died of unnecessary complications... Cain lost his purpose in life and
became paranoid about death as a result of his rebellion.
2 Tim. 2:13, "If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny
himself."
Ladies, no matter how far our character deteriorates, no matter how fugitive-like
we become, God remains true to His character!! He hates the sin but loves
the sinner. Though totally undeserving, as Cain cries from the pit of
his complications, God still exhibits His mercy...
Genesis 4:15-16, "And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth
Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark
upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. And Cain went out from
the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of
Eden."
God set a mark on Cain to spare his life for a time - it was a mark of
mercy. Ladies, we've all been touched by God's mercy, but how will it
change our lives? Will we see difficulties, or will we see Christ?? It
could be the place of new beginnings for you! Cain walked away from the
presence of the Lord without so much as a word of acknowledgment, choosing
to be nothing more than a homeless, hopeless wanderer in the earth. He
was not concerned with his sin, only his suffering... What a sermon Cain's
life affords us of the depth of man's sin and how far our pride will take
us from the Lord!! As God strives to untangle our lives with His mercy
and grace, we are bent on complicating them for all of eternity every
time we refuse His way out. Cain attempted to settle down in the land
of Nod (where all sleeping Christians dwell!), indifferent to the Word
of God and finding no rest for his soul.
No doubt he died there of complications....
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2001 Pamela A. Iannello
