Please turn with me tonight to Genesis chapter 4, Genesis 4, as we read together the first 16 verses, the well-known episode of Cain and Abel, Genesis chapter 4, the first 16 We read that and consider that in connection with the Sixth Commandment found on page, the Heidelberg Catechism's treatment found on page 53 in the back of the Psalter hymnal. Page 53 in the back of the Psalter hymnal. Very simply, as the Catechism says it in Lord's Day 34, a different Lord's Day, the seventh commandment, you shall not kill. As the NIV has it, you shall not murder. Page 53 in the back of the Psalter hymn. Well, let's first confess together what we believe with the answers to these questions on Lord's Day 40. Questions and answers 105, 106, and 107. 105, what is God's will for us in the Sixth Commandment? I am not to belittle, insult, hate, or kill my neighbor, not by my thoughts, my words, my look or gesture, and certainly not by actual deeds. And I am not to be party to this in others. Rather, I am to put away all desire for revenge. I am not to harm or recklessly endanger myself either. Prevention of murder is also why government is armed with the sword. Does this commandment refer only to killing? By forbidding murder, God teaches us that he hates the root of murder. Envy, hatred, anger, vindictiveness. In God's sight, all such are murder. Is it enough, then, that we do not kill our neighbor in any such way? No. By condemning envy, hatred, and anger, God tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to be patient, peace-loving, gentle, merciful, and friendly to him, to protect him from harm as much as we can, and to do good even to our enemies. Genesis 4, beginning at verse 1, as we give our attention to the Word of God. Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man. Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord, but Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering, he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door. It desires to have you, but you must master it. Now Cain said to his brother Abel, let's go out to the field. And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, where is your brother Abel? I don't know, he replied. Am I my brother's keeper? The Lord said, what have you done? Listen, your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth. Cain said to the Lord, My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land and I will be hidden from your presence. I will be a restless wanderer on the earth and whoever finds me will kill me. But the Lord said to him, Not so. If anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over. Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. So Cain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Beloved in Christ the Lord, and then came murder. In the history of Scripture revelation, the Word of God as God has given it to us. In the first few chapters of Genesis, as you know, we seem to move quickly from the fall into sin by Adam and Eve as they took the forbidden fruit to a full-blown attack against the sovereign God of life. An attack carried out by the senseless, unjustified murder of human life. Why? Because of anger against God. And because of hatred for man. We might say that the sin that resulted in death in the garden naturally desires to kill. Of course, we know this story well, the story of Cain and Abel. Even the young boys and girls, you know it well. You've learned it in Sunday school or maybe you've heard it at Calvin in school. We know this story well of Cain and Abel and of how Cain murdered his brother. But really, it's a story of rebellion. It's a story of decline in the human race after sin entered the world. Now, we don't know how much time passed from the time that Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden to this particular event. We really don't know. A number of years, no doubt. But we see how from the time that God cursed the serpent, Satan tried to destroy. He tried to wipe out the seed of the woman. And now here he leads Cain to kill in cold blood to murder his brother Abel because of anger against God. You see, that is the only thing that sin can produce in the heart of sinful man. Anger and hatred against the One who is holy and righteous and pure before the One before whom sin cannot stand. before this God who Himself gives life. And that life is precious, that life is valuable to God, particularly human life which was created, we know, in God's own image, as we read in Genesis 1, verses 26 and 27. That's how God made man. That's how God made human life in the very image of God. He made your life and my life as human beings different than the rest of creation, different than plant, than animal life, different than all else that He had made, even the mountains and the oceans, everything. Man is the crown of God's creative work. And the life that God has given to man is the crown of God's life-giving work. He has given man a soul, a mind to think, to reason, intelligence, a will, emotions, true knowledge, Adam was made with true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. And man was called to rule over the rest of creation. And even though in sin man lost that true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, man still has, we still have all of the other things that make us distinctively human from the rest of life. God created man in His own image and He created him to fellowship with God. He created man to reflect His holy character. He created him to praise and glorify Him. And the fact that God is the giver of life is recognized by Eve. In verse 1 we read again, Adam lay with his wife Eve and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man. Of course, there's no agreement exactly what those words mean when Eve says that. But I believe, like some, that most likely, basically, she is expressing gratitude to God. for the blessing of a child, that life comes from God. And it's agreed in that name, Cain, and what she says about him, that Eve most possibly thinks that this son of hers might very well be the seed of the woman that God promised to crush the head of the seed of the serpent. But sadly, Cain, we know, will become cursed like the serpent, showing that he was of the seed of the serpent who, as Jesus says in John 8, was a murderer from the beginning. God who gives life is also the God who hates murder. And we can say that God hates murder because it extinguishes life. It extinguishes that life that He alone is able to give, that He alone has the right to take away, and it is an attack against His very own image in man. And God hates murder because it deprives him of the worship and the praise that he alone deserves, which he created man to give to him. Even that worship and praise that he doesn't receive from unbelieving mouths, yet he calls them to give it. It deprives him of worship and praise. God hates murder because it attacks society. The society that is called to love, exercise love for a neighbor. And we might say that God hates murder because it seeks to dethrone Him, to shove Him off of His throne. You see, beloved, by taking life, man is still trying to be like God. Man still tries to take his place. But this God who gives life, this God who hates murder, is the God who is to be worshipped. And we see that too from the beginning. We see that in the first parents, no doubt Adam and Eve knew and taught their children something of the basics of the worship of God. That we are to present ourselves before God with a humble and a contrite heart. And that when we come before God, we are to come before Him with gifts, not empty-handed, as it were. And that's reflected somewhat in the worship of the brothers. Second part of verse 2, we read, Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil, pointing to their occupations. In the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruits, of the soil as an offering to the Lord, but Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. We notice that they brought their offerings to the Lord, the one alone who is to be worshipped. But we see here too that this very same one who is to be worshipped is the one who reads the heart. Picking up again at the second part of verse 4, the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering, he did not look with favor. Now, what was the reason for the favor for one and no favor for the other one? Well, some say it's because Cain's offering was not a bloody sacrifice. And that may be, but I believe that's hard to prove. Especially since the Lord did accept grain offerings we read about in Leviticus. And they simply seemed to bring offerings based on the occupations that they had. Now, this offering most likely was some sort of a thank offering that was given with a desire to secure divine favor and blessing. But the reason for the favor for one and the lack of favor for the other one is seen on the one hand in the content of the offering. Abel brought from the firstborn of the flocks and in that he shows that he understood that everything comes from God. All that he had came from God. And not only that, it says he gave of the fat portions of the firstborn. He gave the best of the animal. He gave the best of the best to him who is the best. But of Cain, we simply read that he brought some of the fruits. As if to say he didn't even take time to inspect them. He just grabbed something, anything, to bring before the Lord. On the one hand, we find the reason for the favor and the no favor in the content of the offering. But on the other hand, we see the reason in the attitude of the heart that brought the offering. And that attitude, of course, determines the content of the offering. Of Abel, we are told in Hebrews 11, by faith, Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. Abel had a heart filled with true faith. He brought his offering, the best of the best, to him who is the best. He brought it in sincerity because of who God is. He shows in the attitude of his heart, his dependence upon God, and that he knew that he was completely unworthy to come before this God. And he comes before him seeking his divine favor and blessing, knowing that he doesn't deserve it. But of Cain, we read in 1 John 3, beginning at verse 11, This is the message you heard from the beginning. We should love one another. Do not be like Cain who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brothers were righteous. Then John goes on in verse 15, anyone who hates his brother is a murderer and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. Cain's heart was filled with evil, the very Word of God says, as he offered his offering to the Lord. He came simply out of duty. He came as if it were to keep on good terms with God. To try to earn His divine favor and blessing. He came without love for God. Only a self-seeking heart. And this God who gives life and who hates murder and who is to be worshipped and who reads the heart is also the one who confronts us in our sin. Second half of verse 5 we pick up, So Cain was very angry and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door. It desires to have you, but you must master it. The Lord exposes Cain to sin, if you do what is right. But he had not. And he gives him a call to repent with a promise of forgiveness. Will you not be accepted? And he also issues a warning to Cain against harboring sin, about keeping that sin inside. You see, beloved, sin is like a predator, like a wild animal lying in wait to take advantage of you and me. Even as Peter says, Satan is a roaring lion prowling around seeking whom he may devour. Sin that is hung on to and kept inside leads to deadly danger. It leads to more sin. It leads to more violent sin. Boys and girls, you know that. You know that when you've been angry about something and you have already done something wrong and you can't get over it and you're still angry and it leads you to doing something worse. It only gets you in more trouble. And this, of course, begins really with anger against God. Because God is displeased with sin. Because God will not accept sinful actions. Because sin violates His holiness and He hates it. That angers man as it angered Cain. It angers man who wants to be God and take His throne. And that then leads then to striking out against God, trying to destroy God by trying to hurt His image-bearers. The Lord told Cain to master sin. And to put it in Paul's words, he was to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. Beloved, when we are faced with temptation to sin, Especially the temptation to hang on to that sin and sinful thoughts. We are to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ and not to give way to sin. You know, we hear the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 5 when he says, You have heard it was said to the people long ago, do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, Raka, is answerable to the Sanhedrin, but anyone who says, You fool, will be in danger of the fire of hell. We hear those words and, you know, we cannot help but to think of Cain and what we read here in Genesis 4. He was very angry and his face was downcast. His heart was reflected in his face. He believed he was cheated. He believed he was wrong. He was angry with God. And he would get even with God. And that led to murder because of his hatred for man. In the second place, you see, beloved, hatred for man reflects our attitude toward God. Cain did not take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. He did not master sin. Instead, he gave way to it. It's as if he opened the door wide open to it and let it have its way. Because of anger and hatred against God whom he could not see, Cain reached out against the crown of God's creation whom he could see. The image bearer of God. And that is seen in Cain's premeditation. Verse 8 says, Now Cain said to his brother Abel, let's go out to the field. And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Now that phrase that we have here in the NIV when it says that Cain said, let's go out to the field, that's not found in the original Hebrew text. It's in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, but it's not in the original Hebrew text. The original Hebrew text simply says, Cain spoke to his brother, or to Abel. It doesn't say what he said. He very well may have said these words, but whatever it was, he said, he was able to draw Abel out into the open field. Where no one could hear Abel's shouts for help. Where there was no possibility of Abel finding any help. Where no one could see what Cain was doing, except for God. In envy, Cain couldn't strip Abel of God's favor. But he could stop Abel from physically glorifying and praising God. You see, this was premeditated. It was a conscious matter of the heart. Cain sought more than simply to hurt Abel or to rough him up a little bit. But he wanted to get him out of the way, as his hatred is acted upon in Abel's murder. And of course, you and I know that his anger that we read about, His hatred was already murder in his heart, as Jesus said. But he went to the very end. He stripped Abel of his very life, of his breath. He shed his blood. The Bible says in another place that life is in the blood. Abel's blood, Abel's very life, cried out from the ground to the only life-giver, God. And by acting upon his hatred, by murdering even in his heart, that makes one worthy of death. Physically, in Genesis chapter 9, after the flood, the Lord says to Noah, Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed. For in the image of God has God made man. Of course, in the same way that God did not automatically put Adam and Eve to physical death when they sinned, Cain does not receive physical death at the hand of God at this moment, but his sentence that God pronounced upon him, the sentence on earth was like death. Verses 11 and 12, Now you are under a curse, the Lord says, and driven from the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth. Cain was cursed in his soul. He was a wanderer in his body and he would be unfruitful in his labor. It was a death sentence. But one who commits murder is worthy of death eternally. You see, Cain was unrepentant. He was arrogant when God confronted him. He did not care about his brother. He tried to cover it up. He lied about it. He wouldn't repent. Instead, he complained about the sentence. And he is banished by God. Verse 16, So Cain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Nod means wandering. Cain was banished. He became a wanderer away from the presence of God, even as his heart was already away from the presence of God. But we can't help but to see the mercy that God had showed to him in this life. No one was allowed to physically take Cain's life. God, it's as if God gave him the opportunity as he gives all the wicked in his life, day by day, the opportunity to repent. But sadly, there's no evidence that Cain does. Beloved, God hates murder because murder devalues his image in man. Murder desires to eliminate his image in man. Murder is an attack against God. But now, once again, tonight, We hear this, we read this episode that we know so well and we cannot help but ask, what about us? What about us? We understand what's going on here, but what about us? In Cain and Abel, we see the gross nature of sin already from the very beginning of history, the very taking of that which only God could give, namely life, that life which was to be lived for him, that life which is exalted by him. But Cain went the final step. He stopped the breath of life. The dead heart brought death. What about us? I mean, I'm sure any one of us would stand up here tonight and say, well, I would never do that. I'm not that calloused. I don't hate my enemies that much that I want to stop their breath of life. I would never do that. I'm not like a mass murderer. Yeah, you see, we must hear the words of Jesus and we must hear the words of the Apostle John as we read a while ago that murder does not begin and end with the act of stopping a beating heart. It starts in the heart. And when we understand that, when we consider that, beloved, that makes all of us guilty. Even the boys and girls. Even the young people. Even the oldest one among us. We're all guilty of murder. And, of course, we know that in our day there's no agreement, even in society, really with regard to the parameters, we might say, of murder or the comprehensive nature of murder. We believe, at least most of us, that God provides in His Word for capital punishment and for just wars for the protection of society. That He provides for self-defense. Some would call those things murder. But on the other hand, we know that society covers up the murder of the unborn child by calling it the mother's right to choose. And society covers up the murder of the elderly called euthanasia or the terminally ill called assisted suicide by referring to them as mercy killings. There is no agreement in our society with regard to the scope, the comprehensive nature of murder. But the Bible is clear. The Bible covers the truth of murder in a comprehensive fashion. And the Lord has blessed us with a summary of the comprehensive teaching of Scripture in our high-liber catechism, which helps us to understand the truth of murder, that we might strive to be obedient to God's Sixth Commandment. Question and answer 105, we might say, deals with murder from the hands, or murder with the hands. What is God's will for us in the Sixth Commandment? I am not to belittle, insult, hate, or kill my neighbor, not by my thoughts, my words, my look or gesture, and certainly not by actual deeds. And I am not to be party to this in others. Rather, I am to put away all desire for revenge. I am not to harm or recklessly endanger myself either. Prevention of murder is also why government is armed with the sword. See, beloved, again, it's more than simply stopping the breath of life. Murder deals with destroying life in any way using my mind, my thoughts, using my mouth, my words against others, using my hands, using my eyes. Any sort of injury, whether physical or emotional or mental, against life, against the image of God in another is murder. Boys and girls hitting your brother or sister out of anger is murder. Shaking your fist at someone with anger is murder. Calling someone else a name. Jesus says fool. It means idiot, moron. Simply to pull someone down is an act of murder. And it also includes the other commandments that come after this. Adultery, stealing, gossiping, coveting. They're all included, you see. Because they all seek to harm man in some way. Any act of stripping another of their dignity as image bearers of God is a violation of the Sixth Commandment. We can also violate it against ourselves. When we do not care for and protect ourselves and the life that God has given to us, when we needlessly, senselessly put ourselves in danger, it's an act of murder. We can be guilty of violating this command through the hands of another, especially, again, abortion and euthanasia and assisted suicide. If we do not do all that we are capable of as Christian citizens to change the laws of the land. It doesn't mean that we'll be effective in changing those laws, but we are called to try. If we don't even do what God gives us the opportunity to do, we share in that guilt. We might be guilty of this sin by negligence, ignoring the homeless and the helpless and the hungry. Not all of them, that's impossible of course, but like the Good Samaritan, those whom God places in your path and mine. Even by way of missions or the opportunity to give as the deacons place it before us. You see, the reformer Martin Luther made it clear that a violation of this command is not only doing evil, but it's also failing to do good when we have the opportunity. As he says, when we fail to prevent and protect and save from bodily harm or injury, and one of the examples he uses is when you see someone who is hungry and you don't feed them, and they starve to death. Luther saw that as being guilty of violating the Sixth Commandment, murder from the hands. And question answer 106 deals with murder from the heart. Does this commandment refer only to killing? By forbidding murder, God teaches us that He hates the root of murder. Envy, hatred, anger, vindictiveness, in God's sight, all such are murder. Those things are the root of murder. That's the heart of the matter. And all of these things were seen in Cain. But sadly, as each one of us examines our own life, we must all confess that we've sprouted all of these things. We have all, at some point in time, sprouted the roots of envy and hatred and anger and vindictiveness, maybe in this past week, maybe today. Maybe even today. We have done so at some point in time, in some situation at home or school or the office or the playground or the athletic field. And all of these things point to an attack against the life of another in some way. And lest we should become careless and think, well, that's not such a big deal, is it? We need to remember, beloved, that the root may not make us criminals in the eyes of the world. But it definitely makes us sinners in the sight of God. But praise God, there's an antidote for murder. 107, is it enough then that we do not kill our neighbor in any such way? No. By condemning envy, hatred, and anger, God tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. And notice what our attitude is to be. To be patient, peace-loving, gentle, merciful, and friendly to Him. To protect Him from harm as much as we can. And to do good even to our enemies. The catechism and its consideration of the Word of God with all the commandments does a good job of placing before us the positive, the do, to counter the don't. But the antidote for murder is love. Love and to promote our neighbor's good as ourself, and even our enemies. In Galatians 6, verse 10, Paul says, Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. This morning we considered in more depth the family of believers, but even our enemies. See, the commandments are beautiful, especially the second table in this sense. The second table, dealing with our neighbor. The commandments are as a shield that protects, it's a shield that protects the marriage, the possessions, the honor and the reputation of our neighbor. But before that, it lifts a protecting shield over life and gives my neighbor's life a sacred character. And once that life is protected, and then it goes on to consider the details of life. Beloved, we are called to seek our neighbor's good, our neighbor's welfare, our neighbor's safety in as much as we are able. And especially our neighbor's salvation. You see, that is the greatest, that is the most important way to promote my neighbor's life. To tell him who is dead of the greatest message of that eternal life in and through Jesus Christ, the only giver of life. You see, love for neighbor as my neighbor as myself desires my neighbor's salvation. Not his condemnation. Not his damnation. But this true love desires my neighbor's salvation. But of course, this love is only possible through forgiveness. You and I cannot master sin, and especially we cannot master the sin of murder and the root of murder. without being forgiven. And praise God, there is forgiveness for sin. There is forgiveness even for murder. You see, the law of God points a finger, as it were, at each one of us and says, You are the man, You are the woman, You are the child. You are guilty of murder. You are worthy of death eternally for attacking the life-giver through His image-bearers. But again, God is merciful. He's merciful. He confronts us with our sin through His law. He confronts us down to the very depths of our heart that we might see the truth of ourselves. And then He places before us the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. And He calls us to repent and believe in the One who was murdered unjustly for the murderous sins of His people. Beloved, that is to be amazing to us, that our sin of shedding blood, both figuratively and literally, Our sin of murder and all of our sins have been washed away by the precious blood of Jesus Christ that was poured out on the cross. The blood of Abel cried out for the day of God's vengeance, and the Bible says it still cries out against injustice. But the blood of Jesus, as Hebrews 12 says, speaks better things than Abel's. Because the blood of Jesus cries salvation to all who believe. That's the guaranteed promise of God. And that's the guaranteed promise that you and I need to hear over and over again, Lord's Day by Lord's Day, because day by day we are reminded of our sin and our misery. We are reminded of our unworthiness to stand before a righteous and a holy God. But it's the blood of Jesus that we have our trust in His saving sacrifice. And those who are saved by His blood, beloved, whose hearts of stone and hate have been removed and replaced with hearts of flesh and love. Those who are saved by His blood are being renewed day by day in the one-of-a-kind image of God. And as the Holy Spirit sanctifies us more and more day by day, we see the preciousness of life in others. so precious that Jesus Christ spared no cost to, as David says, redeem your life from the pit and to crown you with love and compassion. And therefore, beloved, more and more day by day, may we too value that life in each other and in others. That life that was created for the glory of God and to enjoy Him forever. We hear a lot about the cost of living in our life, in our society. And for most people, that cost of living simply means the cost to maintain the physical needs of life. But for you and me, in truth, the cost of living is truly about the cost of the precious blood that Jesus shed to pay for the redemption price for his people. And because of that blood that he shed, beloved, may we rejoice because in him then came life. How much does God value human life? Enough to give His one and only Son. That's the value that He placed on your life and mine. You see, the true cost of living is the blood of Jesus Christ. And the true value of life is eternal glory. Let's pray together. Father, as we bow before You, once again we must confess that our hope is in nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. O Lord, as we consider the commandments that You gave to Your people so long ago, the commandments that You placed before us, You have inscribed upon our hearts even now. Indeed, over and over again we are reminded of our sin and how we have violated Your holiness. How we have not walked before you as you have commanded. How we have not honored you. Father, we praise your name for your word of life in Jesus Christ and your forgiving grace in him alone. And Father, help us to struggle. To struggle in such a way that we would not murder each other. That we would watch our words and our thoughts and our actions. That indeed we would uphold each other's honor and seek the good and the welfare of each other as brothers and sisters in the home, as friends in the playground, as believers in the church, and even with our neighbors who may not know you. Father, we thank you for that precious life, the breath of life that you have given to mankind by your Holy Spirit. We praise you for that gift of life eternal in Christ Jesus. In His name alone we pray these things. Amen.