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Hope in the Midst of Sin’s Senselessness
Genesis 4:1-26
Why are we back to 100 people, when we had over 200 last week? We know why. It’s the KTV cluster which seems to have led to the fishing port cluster. It’s embarrassing. To be fair, if it wasn’t this, it would’ve been something else. But here, it was the KTV cluster caused by lust. The nation was improving but now we’re back to phase 2. The vanity and senselessness. We’re upset, we want to blame this filthy industry. And yet, how many of us have a secret unclean life? If people knew the thoughts we had we would blush. That’s why perhaps we hide it with a display of outrage.
Then this past week, there was a senseless murder. A 16 year old killing a 13 year old with an axe. We only read of these things in other countries! That it can happen here is unimaginable - we wonder how these things can happen in Singapore! Our hearts go out to the family of the victim; and we feel for the family of the accused. But as we mourn, we make quick judgment - we blame TV, computer games, the government for not banning access to axes online; we blame bullying in schools, and schools for not catching mental illness. But many of us here also have a complex thought life. We indulge in bitterness, anger, malice. We don’t surrender them to Christ. Some may struggle helplessly in a cycle of depressive thoughts. We don’t want them, but they enslave us.
Today, we consider this senselessness of sin. Senseless violence, senseless problems, the vanity of life. And our purpose is not to make a judgment on the recent atrocity - but it’s to see why such senselessness does exist. Why it has existed. Why it will always exist. As long as sin is among us, senseless things will happen. From our passage, we will draw out two realities we must accept, and one hope to hold dear. The realities are firstly, the senselessness of sin is disappointing and secondly, the increase of sin is unsurprising. But it’s to realize that there’s a ray of hope that’s appointed.
The first reality to accept is the senselessness of sin. It’s disappointing. Now, why such a mild word? Why not shocked? Should we be shocked by what happened? That atrocities are committed by children that young. That grown men and women should behave so irresponsibly. But that’s reality - it’s disappointing but hardly shocking. Let’s not forget all the atrocities in history - Hitler, the Rape of Nanking, our own 1964 race riots. Education, technology, advancement don’t stop sin - they just help us sin in more advanced and smarter ways. When God first created man, he placed Adam and Eve in a wonderful garden - where the rivers of life watered the garden, where the tree of life and every kind of tree fed them. But in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve sinned. As a result, God sent them away and barred this paradise them. But before he did that, he promised hope - a descendant of theirs would conquer sin and the devil. He’d right the wrong and bring a resolution. But until then, they’d experience the reality of life. Life would be hard. Work, childbirth, marriage, and family would be hard. Therefore broken hope and sin are not unexpected or shocking. Disappointing yes, but not unexpected.
And Eve was disappointed. Verse 1 - Eve had a son and named him Cain. She said - “I have gotten a man from the Lord.” She acknowledged God’s help in his birth. Cain means to get. She hoped she got the one that would right all wrongs! Maybe Cain was that redeemer. He’d destroy sin! He’d solve our problems! But then in verse 2, some time later, she had another son named Abel. His name, “hevel” means vanity in Hebrew - the word used often in Ecclesiastes - vanity of vanity, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. Everything is messy and senseless on earth. When she had Cain, she had hope. But nothing changed with Cain. As she journeyed outside the garden, she saw the reality of life. And life was hard. Work, childbirth, marriage, and family were hard. She saw its senseless reality. And it got worse.
Cain killed Abel his brother. And over what? Jealousy! How senseless is that? Abel, a keeper of sheep, brought God a sacrifice. Cain, a farmer, brought the fruit. God accepted Abel’s offering and not Cain’s. As a result, Cain was angry; his face fell - or in our lingo, his face black black. But God extended grace.
God gave a merciful warning. In verses 6-7, he asked Cain - “why are you so angry? Why is your face black? If you do what is right and overcome anger, you’ll be accepted.” Cain was angry with his brother and God - without a cause. He was wrong. But all he needed was to do right by repenting. But if he refused, then he’d better watch out. Sin was crouching like a tiger at his door waiting for him to give into anger. It wanted to control him. If he didn’t subdue sin and gain mastery over it, it would be his master. This was a gracious and gentle warning from God of the danger of sin. It called him not to give into sin. God didn’t have to give that warning. But God did, to this undeserving angry person. But his senseless response was to harden his heart.
Instead of ruling sin, Cain embraced it - he gave into his anger and let it rule him. In verse 8, when they were in the field, Cain killed Abel. This was premeditated. Cain first talked to his brother Abel. Then when they were in the open field away from everyone else, Abel was murdered. Not only was it senseless it was rebellious. When God asked Cain where Abel was, Cain was insolent. Firstly, he lied - I don’t know. Secondly, he was insulting. Am I my brother’s keeper? Am I the keeper of the keeper of sheep? The one whose sacrifice you favored? Why didn’t you keep him? Cain was mocking God. In the end, that’s what sin is - insolence toward God. When sin gained mastery over him, he sinned against man and God.
And God punished Cain. Verse 10 says Abel’s spilled blood on the earth was evidence that cried out for judgment. Cain was given opportunity to confess and repent but didn’t. And now, as judge of the earth, God judged Cain for spilling blood on the earth. Whereas God cursed the earth with Adam and Eve, God now cursed Cain. Verse 11 - now are you cursed from the earth - meaning - you are cursed and rejected from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood. When you farm, there won’t be fruit. You’ll be a fugitive, wandering the earth. When God cursed Adam, work would be hard; but when God cursed Cain, it would be impossible for him to work. The farmer could no longer farm.
Now, is this harsh? If you think so, consider several things. Firstly, this was his brother. This wasn’t his enemy, it was his brother. Secondly, consider the jealousy that caused the anger - it was over worship. Thirdly, consider God’s gracious display to warn him to respond in faith by fighting sin. Fourthly, consider his lie and insults. Fifthly, consider against whom he sinned - the God that extended mercy, the God that gave him green thumbs, the God that created him. Cain was gotten from the Lord. Sixthly, consider the lightness of his judgment compared to what he should’ve received. He lived rather than died! Time to repent and surrender, and come in faith before God.
But Cain spurned that light judgment of God and sought relief instead of repentance. Listen to what he said in verse 13 - “My punishment is greater than I can bear.” Why? Verse 14 - because you have banished me from the land and your presence; you’ve made me a homeless wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me!”
Cain was not sorry for his sins but sorry for himself. He was afraid that people would treat him the way he treated his brother! Not only was his sin senseless, he was senseless - feeling sorry for himself, not what he did. He sought relief - that no one would kill him. And graciously, the God who valued life, assured this man who didn’t value life. Any one who killed him would receive 7 times the punishment. This was further goodness displayed - that God preserved Cain’s earthly life. And that’s why we read with sadness what happened next. Verse 16 says, “And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.” God gave Cain chance after chance, even in judgment, to turn to him. But in the end, Cain went out from the presence of God. He rejected God. His claim in verse 14 that God banished him from his presence was not true. It was Cain that abandoned God.
And this led to an increase of sin. That’s the second reality. When a person, a people, a nation, abandons God; the result is an increase of sin. It’s not shocking. It’s reality. God’s lot for Cain was to wander. Such a life would’ve caused Cain to return to find permanence and relief in God. But we learn in verse 17 that he had a son, Enoch. He built a city and named it after his son. This is significant. This was in direct rebellion against God whose punishment for Cain was to wander. This would’ve brought Cain back to God - like the prodigal son. Instead of finding stability, relief, comfort, restoration, and advancement in God, he sought it in himself again. It was a life lived without God. It reminds us of another city - Babel. Men in rebellion against God built this city to make a name for themselves. The point is not to emphasize the city - but with a city comes numbers; and with numbers of people who think the same way, there comes a pattern of life. In the city of Babel, the collective thought was rebellion against God.
And we see this in this first city. Where the life of Cain’s descendants are lived without a care for God - out of his presence. One of them, Lamech had 2 wives. When you leave God’s presence, his laws don’t matter. Do what you want to please yourself. When God instituted marriage, it was for one man and one woman. But now, Lamech had some bizarre fraction. There was subjugation - these weren’t wives for him to love, but wives for him to use. Adah means an ornament. Zillah means protection.
Yes, some may point to the fact that Lamech had culture and advancement. Yes he did. Life without God doesn’t mean there isn’t advancement in culture, technology, or science. Life without God can be filled with wonderful things. In other words, there can be selfishness and still progress and success. The condemned can prosper outwardly. But this is what’s so deceiving. Prosperity and yet evil can co-exist. And that prosperity can be used for evil.
But life without God is messy and senseless. Life under the earth without God produces haughtiness and pride. What Cain did, Lamech took to an extreme. Cain killed his brother out of jealousy and he hid it. Lamech killed a young man - meaning a teen or a boy - for wounding him and he boasted about it. He said to his wives in verse 23 - “for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.” The word “wounding” means bruise; the word “injuring” means welt. The wounding was not severe - it resulted in a bruise; and a scratch that got swollen. The boy didn’t do much harm to Lamech. But what did Lamech do? I killed the young man. Why? Because he was insulted. How senseless was this?
And he boasted. He said in verse 24 - “If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.” Meaning, if Cain was to be avenged 7 times if anyone killed him for his senseless crime, then if anyone were to kill me for my even more senseless crime, they’d get 70 and 7 fold. Either 77 times more or 490 times more. Whatever it is, it is an expression of haughtiness. It was a 2 fold challenge.
Firstly, it was a “no one can do anything about it” challenge. Lamech was proud of the senselessness of his crime - if Cain got away with his, then he should get away with his. His crime was more senseless. No one could take revenge. While God spoke these words to assure Cain and warn others against vengeance; Lamech used them to boast his opposition to God and man.
Secondly, it was a “you just try to take revenge” challenge. I killed this boy for scratching me. You so much as try, I’ll get you - I’ll never stop hunting you down if you try to hurt me. I won’t relent. I won’t forgive. I will kill - 77 or 490 times if I need to. A life lived without God, deliberately outside of his presence will cultivate this kind of independence and rebellion even though a person may be very cultured, advanced, “civilized.” Isn’t it amazing, Hitler and the Third Reich collected works of art. They commissioned operas. They advanced medical knowledge through torture. Educated, cultured, advanced, articulate, but evil. That’s what that city represented. Senselessness. And that’s reality - the increase of sin among those who reject God is unsurprising.
But God appointed a ray of hope. We must hold onto it tightly. Advances of culture, progress in technology cannot halt the progress of sin. But in the midst of this, God offered hope. In verse 25, Adam and Eve had another son. His name was called Seth - meaning, appointed. God had appointed hope in the place of Hevel. That’s what Good does. Romans 5:20 says - “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” In the place of Abel who offered an acceptable sacrifice, God appointed Seth, from whom Christ, the acceptable sacrifice would come.
It was in the day of Seth’s son Enos, that men began to call upon the name of the Lord. It was not their city, not their name, but the name of the Lord. You see, it was clear that Seth was not the one hoped for. And so the people called on God. This was not the city of Enoch with people like Lamech who lived for themselves and rebelled against God. This was another people whose aim was to call on the name of God. In the midst of an ungodly generation, despite the advances in civilization, there was a believing minority that hoped in God’s appointed salvation and worshiped him as a people.
Dearly beloved, what are things we can take from this passage and this message. Firstly, we should be realistic to know that the solution to our senseless problems is not the schools catching mental illness soon enough, not the government banning KTVs, not limiting access to axes; it’s not culture or education; it’s God and his appointed solution to the world’s vanity.
Secondly, it’s to know that the world’s vanity will not end unless God appoints it. And God has given us a savior. The seed of the woman has come. He has provided a savior - the one who would conquer sin. The Lord Jesus came to this earth, to display grace to his enemies. To call them to repentance. And they hated him. He experienced the senselessness of sin - they put him to death on one of the most cruel devices every invented. So that he who was put to death for us, would put to death sin and the sinful impulse in us. That we who believe in him might be saved from the vanity of this life. And as we walk with him, his spirit restrains us from sin.
Thirdly, it’s to know that we must struggle against sin. Sin is always at our door. If we live for self to gratify our sins, it will have mastery over us. Many of us like Cain, instead of turning back to God, we turn to our solutions to gratify our sins. Dearly beloved - why should we, who have a deliverer, live for ourselves? Unless we turn to him, we will be bolder in our sins to fulfill its lust. But if we turn to him, in the midst of senselessness and sin, we experience mastery over sin.
Fourthly, it’s to know that we who believe are his people. We call on his name. We are a city set on a hill in the midst of a wicked generation. If we who have the hope of God, the one who destroys sin, think like the rest of the world, take revenge like the rest of the world, give into our flesh like the rest of the world, what kind of witness are we? But in our mastery over sin, we can go to that city of Enoch, and to preach to them the appointed savior.
Fifthly, it is to know that Christ has come to rescue us from this world’s senselessness. He is bringing us to that eternal city where the river of life flows and tree of life grows. The life here under the sun is vanity of vanities, and vexation of spirit. Until then, we receive from his hand the good and the evil until we join him above. And in Christ, we live in this tension of life’s senselessness by calling on his name.
1. The Senselessness of Sin Is Disappointing
A. Broken hope and sin are not unexpected
B. The grace displayed and sin embraced
C. The judgment spurned and relief sought
2. The Increase of Sin Is Unsurprising
A. A life without God
B. The haughtiness without God
3. The Ray of Hope Is Appointed
A. God appoints hope
B. God gathers a people
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Mark Chen, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2021, Rev. Mark Chen
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