Race War. Genesis 4:1-26.

April 30th, 2006. Race War. Genesis 4:1-26.

In Genesis 3 God declares war against Satan and the forces of evil. This war will be played out on the earth and through two races of people. One race will follow Satan, disregard God, live only for the comforts and pleasures of this world and exist in animosity and hostility towards God’s people. The other race will by God’s grace pursue a lifestyle characterized by worship and obedience to God through Jesus Christ. They will live to embody and promote God’s word, will and agenda. They too will live in hostility towards the other race but not with the intention to do any kind of harm to them. Their hostility will be evident in their witness in that their lives, actions and proclamation of the gospel will be offensive to those who reject God to follow their own way.
The question is simple: Whose side are you on?

This race war begins in the house of Adam and Eve and is characterized by how each race regards God’s living word.
Gen. 4 introduces us to the biblical concept of human intimacy. Scripture teaches that physical intimacy is reserved for a husband and wife within the covenant of marriage. Thus, when enjoyed within the covenant of marriage between a man and woman the pleasure of physical intimacy is a blessing that God is pleased to give his creation.
However, physical intimacy apart from the covenant of marriage is rebellion against God and the surest pathway toward physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual pain and stress.

How do you regard God’s word concerning this vital issue? Does the word of God set the direction regarding how you live one of most intimate aspects of your existence?

The race war is seen in how each race responds to God’s means of salvation.
Eve expresses her faith by acknowledging that God has helped her to bring forth ‘the’ man. She was mistaken about the nature of Cain, but not about God’s intention to rescue them from sin’s ultimate destruction through her offspring.
Faith is necessary for the salvation of God’s people. We must believe that God will save, that is rescue us from having to face His fierce, passionate, settled, certain and very much righteous anger against us for our sin by the means He’s prescribed.

The race war is highlighted by Cain and Abel’s reaction to the living God.
Cain and those of his race are marked by a constant, willful disregard for God. Cain does not wish to worship God, is angry that God would even demand worship, loyalty and service and finally expresses his anger on the one who represents God.

Abel and those of his race are marked by their faith in God to rescue them from His anger and establish a joyful, vital and righteous relationship with Him. Abel offers God right worship in the right way, his offering is a testimony that he was aware of his own sinfulness and like millions perhaps billions of his race Abel is persecuted for his faith in God.

There are two races of people in the world. These races have nothing to do with the color of your skin or the continent your people originally came from. You are either apart of the race that belongs to God and thus follow after the faith of Abel or you are apart of the one that belongs to Satan and follows after the works of Cain. How can you know what one you belong to? It’s simple, have you believed in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sin and a right relationship with God characterized by worship, obedience and service? Or do you identify more with Cain?

Cain’s stubborn resistance to the worship and way of God lead him to make Abel the race war’s first casualty.
Cain is most interested in enjoying the fruits and blessings of God’s world apart from a worshiping, obedient relationship with God. His depression and anger are signs of his displeasure at the existence of a God that he can‘t control.
The depth of Cain’s depravity is shown by how easy it was to take his brothers life and stamp out God’s image.
Cain’s reaction to his sin doesn’t demonstrate repentance, only his chief desire of self-preservation.

How do you respond when God arrest your sin?

The race war continues as Cain’s descendents start to reveal the shattered image man now lives with.
Humanity is still capable of managing the earth’s resources for our good and creating culture however, man would create and build as monuments to himself and not as expressions of worship to God.
Our shattered image is seen through our political, economic, academic, cultural and even religious systems. Man’s depravity is fully displayed in the life of Cain’s descendent Lamech. He declared the sentiments of his heart with his intention to kill at will.

Does the way of Cain characterize your life? Are you busily going about doing your thing with scarcely a thought or care about the Person, actions, word, worship, will and ways of God?

The birth of Seth reminds and reinforces our conviction in the ultimate victory of the seed of the woman mentioned in Gen. 3.
Seth shows the other side of humanity. While Lamech was praising himself and his ability to murder, Seth’s life was characterized by worshiping the Lord. The birth of Seth also prepares us for the arrival of the one who really is the man, that is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the one who Mary birthed with the help of the Lord. Yet, Jesus unlike Cain was not born with a sinful nature.
Jesus is the One to whom the saints of old including Abel looked forward to by faith.
By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. Heb. 11:4.

Jesus like Abel offers himself in worship and service to God. Yet, unlike Abel Jesus didn’t bring an offering for His own sin, but became the offering for Abel’s sin and all the sin of God’s people.
Hebrews 9:11-14 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent ( not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

Jesus, unlike Cain mastered the sin that enticed him so that He and He alone was accepted by the Father on His own merits. Thus, He can provide a perfect righteousness for all those who know and acknowledge our inability to stand before God on our own merits. Jesus is now therefore the one we call on for full and final salvation from sin and all its devastating consequences.
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Rom. 10:13.

Implications

1. The race war will soon be over. The Lord Himself will return for His people, judge the wicked and rebellious and establish His eternal kingdom of righteousness, justice and peace. If you’ve been playing on the wrong side now is the time to repent and call on Jesus Christ for full and final salvation.

2. For those who have believed in Christ recognize that you are in a war. Satan, this world and your own sinful nature will continue to pressure us to abandon our life of faith and live like the people of Cain.

3. Living by faith and engaging in this great spiritual conflict isn’t a matter of doing spectacular and sensational spiritual exploits. Rather like Abel we humbly offer our worship and obedience to God consistently, joyfully and truthfully through Christ.

4. Let’s remember to pray for our brothers and sisters who endure hard persecution as the forces of Satan seek to stamp out the witness of the gospel by harming and even killing them.


To Him Who Loves Us...
Pastor Lance