Trinity 11 Sermon: Crouching at the Door

Preached on Genesis 4:1-15
The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity
16 August AD 2015

Title: Crouching at the Door (MP3 Audio)

Summary: Scripture doesn’t provide the details as to why the Lord accepted Abel’s offering but rejected that of Cain. That doesn’t really matter, since it’s not Cain’s sin but each of ours that each of us should concern ourselves with. For just as sin crouched at the door of his heart, so it does at yours and mine.

Therefore, God’s warning to Cain is also His warning to us. Sin awaits any opportunity to slip into our lives. Satan, that hungry lion, continues to prowl about, seeking to devour the faithful (cf. 1 Peter 5:8).

Yet even as we set watch over our hearts, we know that it is Christ who truly looks out for us. He vanquished sin and devil — as well as death. His sacrificial offering of his own lifeblood brought us peace with God. Those who believe in Him find themselves under God’s watchful eye.

Yet even as all is done for us in Christ, God still calls us to be mindful of the needs of brothers — also sisters, parents, children, friends, neighbors, and even enemies. He doesn’t equip us with a passive faith that contents itself with watching the world go by but with a faith active in love.

Text: Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.

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.

The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”

He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”

And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. Genesis 4:1-15

Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of the Trinity 11 sermon Crouching at the Door

NB: For some reason, a few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio if Windows Media is their default MP3 player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.

Other Readings: Psalm 50:7-23; Ephesians 2:1-10; Luke 18:9-14