Trinity 11 August 28, 2022
Genesis 4:1-15
Worthy Worship
v.3-5 “In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.”
Dear friends in Christ, in our Lutheran circles, much has been said in years gone by regarding the so-called "worship wars," in which people of good will disagreed (sometimes quite vehemently) about what worship styles (particularly, "traditional" vs. "contemporary") were acceptable to practise in church. While we are not going to be getting bogged down with the minutiae of such positions this morning, it is interesting to note in our text for this morning that it is true indeed that not ALL worship is acceptable to God. And it is also sadly true that worship wars go back almost to the beginning of time itself, with deadly consequences.
Picture the scene, Adam and Eve, created in perfection and living in paradise, chose rebellion against their loving God and Creator, and so were cast out of heaven, having lost the personal fellowship with God that was the hallmark of humanity's first days. They were not, however, expelled with no gifts from the Lord. He gave them each other in the gift of marriage. He also gave them the Holy Word which went with them. Particularly, His Word to them regarding the future Saviour, the promised seed of the woman from Genesis 3:15 who would "bruise the head of the serpent" even while His heel would be bruised.
It is with this promise of God in mind wherein a sad turn takes place in our text for today. For when Adam knew his wife, Eve, and she conceived, she clearly thought that this child, her son Cain, whose name means "gotten" or "possess" was the one promised from God who would restore their place with God once more. Her faith in God's Word of promise is truly commendable. She believed that in her son Cain was one who would conduct himself better than Adam and Eve. How tragically mistaken she and Adam were.
Nor did these parents seem to have much regard for their second son, Abel, (probably Cain's twin). He who was born second was not looked upon as favourably, being given the name "Vanity" or "Useless" in Hebrew. Indeed, this is the word used by King Solomon in his epic tome of wisdom, the book of Ecclesiastes, in which he states, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." After having Cain, how could Abel ever amount to anything much? There would be nothing for him to do.
Cain, then, prideful and arrogant due to his place in the family as the firstborn, fails to offer proper worship to God. Not so much in the kind of offering he gave. Indeed, both Cain and Abel offer to God an offering of thanks for the fruit that God had given, but Cain's heart was not in it. He believed that merely offering the grain was enough—that it was fine to simply go through the motions—and that God would have regard for his offering because of who he is—on account of his being Cain. And it is this pride that leads to his downfall. Sin crouches at the door of his heart and overcomes him, leading to further sins of anger and murder and lies and deceit. This man, upon whom so much was hoped, falls into even deeper ruin and despair than his parents before him.
And so it seems to have gone ever since. Generation after generation—waiting, hoping, praying—for the Messiah to come—disappointments all. Noah—Moses—Joshua—David—Solomon—and so many more—all fail to bring to fruition this wonderful promise upon which the entire Christian faith is built.
So it is with you and me, dear friends. Sin, ever crouching at our door like a home invader, comes barreling through and leads us down paths of destruction. We may not physically murder our brother—our neighbour—like Cain did Abel—but we most certainly slaughter them in our hearts. Our anger spikes in our thoughts, words, and deeds and we lash out at those around us—even our closest family members—causing heartache and ruin. Our pride leads us to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Not only in regard to our neighbour, but also in regard to our God.
We think that if we offer the Lord whatever we have left over—that it is enough if we simply show up (and then only if it isn't too inconvenient)—that our hearts need not be in this holy house. Yet we cannot fool the Lord God. He who created you—knit you together in the womb of your mother—knows everything about you. He knows your prideful arrogance—He knows the hatred buried deep down—and yet He still loves you. He calls you to repentance through His Word.
In love, God sent His only-begotten Son to offer up His blood in sacrifice for your sin and mine. The blood of Jesus now cries out to the Father in heaven—not accusingly—but redemptively—mercifully—"Father! Forgive them! For my sake, have mercy upon them! With this blood I pay their debt! Receive them once more into your heavenly kingdom!" And the Father, amazingly, even after all that we have done—all that we have said—all the evil we have thought—even though our sin nailed His innocent Son to the cross—our heavenly Father listens to His Son—and forgives. He forgives you...He forgives me. He forgives all, who like Abel, come to Him in faith, trusting in His mercy, even as the tax collector did in our Gospel reading.
This is the point made by the author to the Hebrews. He states, "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." Abel's example of simple faith and trust in his merciful God, still speaks to us today. We hear of the love of God for all people in Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts, leading to acts of love and service to God and neighbour alike. We offer up our hearts, lips, and hands to our God. Singing His praises and giving back to Him a portion of what He has first given to us. Not because we have to—or need to—in order to receive mercy—but rather in response to having ALREADY received mercy in Christ Jesus.
Beloved, it is faith that is required to please God and to be acceptable in His sight. Faith that is at the heart of all true worship of God. Faith and nothing else. Our accomplishments—our good deeds—even our love—all fall short of the perfection required. Only One was able to offer up the most perfect and acceptable sacrifice—the Lord Jesus on the cross. By God's grace, simply by believing in Him and His work for us—all that He has done is now credited to us! Your best works, which apart from faith are as filthy rags, now, combined with faith, are made perfect in God's sight and glorious before all the heavenly host. And it is this precious blood of Christ alone that will always wash away your sin and keep you in the Father's good graces. For this blood—this Christ—never stops crying out for your benefit. For in His bloody sacrifice is found not death, but life everlasting, for all those who believe. And that, dear friends, is what Christian worship is all about. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Genesis 4:1-15
Worthy Worship
v.3-5 “In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.”
Dear friends in Christ, in our Lutheran circles, much has been said in years gone by regarding the so-called "worship wars," in which people of good will disagreed (sometimes quite vehemently) about what worship styles (particularly, "traditional" vs. "contemporary") were acceptable to practise in church. While we are not going to be getting bogged down with the minutiae of such positions this morning, it is interesting to note in our text for this morning that it is true indeed that not ALL worship is acceptable to God. And it is also sadly true that worship wars go back almost to the beginning of time itself, with deadly consequences.
Picture the scene, Adam and Eve, created in perfection and living in paradise, chose rebellion against their loving God and Creator, and so were cast out of heaven, having lost the personal fellowship with God that was the hallmark of humanity's first days. They were not, however, expelled with no gifts from the Lord. He gave them each other in the gift of marriage. He also gave them the Holy Word which went with them. Particularly, His Word to them regarding the future Saviour, the promised seed of the woman from Genesis 3:15 who would "bruise the head of the serpent" even while His heel would be bruised.
It is with this promise of God in mind wherein a sad turn takes place in our text for today. For when Adam knew his wife, Eve, and she conceived, she clearly thought that this child, her son Cain, whose name means "gotten" or "possess" was the one promised from God who would restore their place with God once more. Her faith in God's Word of promise is truly commendable. She believed that in her son Cain was one who would conduct himself better than Adam and Eve. How tragically mistaken she and Adam were.
Nor did these parents seem to have much regard for their second son, Abel, (probably Cain's twin). He who was born second was not looked upon as favourably, being given the name "Vanity" or "Useless" in Hebrew. Indeed, this is the word used by King Solomon in his epic tome of wisdom, the book of Ecclesiastes, in which he states, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." After having Cain, how could Abel ever amount to anything much? There would be nothing for him to do.
Cain, then, prideful and arrogant due to his place in the family as the firstborn, fails to offer proper worship to God. Not so much in the kind of offering he gave. Indeed, both Cain and Abel offer to God an offering of thanks for the fruit that God had given, but Cain's heart was not in it. He believed that merely offering the grain was enough—that it was fine to simply go through the motions—and that God would have regard for his offering because of who he is—on account of his being Cain. And it is this pride that leads to his downfall. Sin crouches at the door of his heart and overcomes him, leading to further sins of anger and murder and lies and deceit. This man, upon whom so much was hoped, falls into even deeper ruin and despair than his parents before him.
And so it seems to have gone ever since. Generation after generation—waiting, hoping, praying—for the Messiah to come—disappointments all. Noah—Moses—Joshua—David—Solomon—and so many more—all fail to bring to fruition this wonderful promise upon which the entire Christian faith is built.
So it is with you and me, dear friends. Sin, ever crouching at our door like a home invader, comes barreling through and leads us down paths of destruction. We may not physically murder our brother—our neighbour—like Cain did Abel—but we most certainly slaughter them in our hearts. Our anger spikes in our thoughts, words, and deeds and we lash out at those around us—even our closest family members—causing heartache and ruin. Our pride leads us to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Not only in regard to our neighbour, but also in regard to our God.
We think that if we offer the Lord whatever we have left over—that it is enough if we simply show up (and then only if it isn't too inconvenient)—that our hearts need not be in this holy house. Yet we cannot fool the Lord God. He who created you—knit you together in the womb of your mother—knows everything about you. He knows your prideful arrogance—He knows the hatred buried deep down—and yet He still loves you. He calls you to repentance through His Word.
In love, God sent His only-begotten Son to offer up His blood in sacrifice for your sin and mine. The blood of Jesus now cries out to the Father in heaven—not accusingly—but redemptively—mercifully—"Father! Forgive them! For my sake, have mercy upon them! With this blood I pay their debt! Receive them once more into your heavenly kingdom!" And the Father, amazingly, even after all that we have done—all that we have said—all the evil we have thought—even though our sin nailed His innocent Son to the cross—our heavenly Father listens to His Son—and forgives. He forgives you...He forgives me. He forgives all, who like Abel, come to Him in faith, trusting in His mercy, even as the tax collector did in our Gospel reading.
This is the point made by the author to the Hebrews. He states, "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." Abel's example of simple faith and trust in his merciful God, still speaks to us today. We hear of the love of God for all people in Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts, leading to acts of love and service to God and neighbour alike. We offer up our hearts, lips, and hands to our God. Singing His praises and giving back to Him a portion of what He has first given to us. Not because we have to—or need to—in order to receive mercy—but rather in response to having ALREADY received mercy in Christ Jesus.
Beloved, it is faith that is required to please God and to be acceptable in His sight. Faith that is at the heart of all true worship of God. Faith and nothing else. Our accomplishments—our good deeds—even our love—all fall short of the perfection required. Only One was able to offer up the most perfect and acceptable sacrifice—the Lord Jesus on the cross. By God's grace, simply by believing in Him and His work for us—all that He has done is now credited to us! Your best works, which apart from faith are as filthy rags, now, combined with faith, are made perfect in God's sight and glorious before all the heavenly host. And it is this precious blood of Christ alone that will always wash away your sin and keep you in the Father's good graces. For this blood—this Christ—never stops crying out for your benefit. For in His bloody sacrifice is found not death, but life everlasting, for all those who believe. And that, dear friends, is what Christian worship is all about. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.