22 June 2014
I. Introduction
-- turn in
Bibles to Genesis 4:1-13
Genesis 4:1-13 (NIV)
1 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."
2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept
flocks, and Cain worked the soil.
3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of
the soil as an offering to the LORD.
4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn
of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.
So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why
is your face downcast?
7 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."
8 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.
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother
Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's
keeper?"
10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your
brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.
11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground,
which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its
crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."
13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I
can bear.
-- as I
mentioned last week, we are going to be starting a new sermon series today on a
subject nobody in the church really likes to talk about in specific terms --
the subject of sin
-- we don't
mind talking about sin in general -- as in, "Jesus died for our sins"
-- but we don't like to get into the specifics -- to start naming sin -- to
start talking about sin in specifics -- because, as one person told me one day,
"Pastor, you've gone from preaching to meddling"
-- when we stop
talking about sin as a general concept and start talking about sin in
specifics, it hits home really quickly and it gets really uncomfortable, but
maybe that's what we need more of in our churches in America today -- a little
less comfortable and a lot more stepping on toes to get us right with Jesus
-- it
reminds me of the story I heard about a young associate pastor who had just
started serving in a new church -- one Sunday morning he got up and walked
outside the parsonage and discovered his bicycle was missing -- he couldn't
find it anywhere and he went to his senior pastor and said, "I think my
bicycle was stolen last night" -- so the senior pastor suggested that the
associate preach a sermon on the ten commandments that morning and really hit
hard on "thou shalt not steal"
-- so the
associate got up and preached his message on the ten commandments -- and when
it was over, the senior pastor came up to him and said, "that was a real
fine sermon, but I really expected you to hit the commandment about stealing a
lot harder than you did" -- the associate pastor hung his head and said,
"well, I was planning to, but when I started preaching on "thou shalt
not covet thy neighbor's wife," I remembered where I left my bicycle"
-- other
than grace, sin is the one common denominator in the church -- sin is the one
thing we all share, and it knows no bounds -- it touches each and every one of
us, regardless of race, age, sex, national origin, or position in the church
-- every
single person on earth -- every single person in this room -- is a sinner -- we
are born sinners through original sin -- and because we are born sinners, sin
is a part of our lives -- as it says in Romans 3:23, "all have sinned and
fallen short of the glory of God"
-- and as
you know, even Christians -- even those who name the name of Christ -- who have
been washed in the blood of the Lamb and walk in His grace and righteousness --
even we continue to sin because we choose to disobey God and seek to fulfill
our own desires in ungodly ways
-- and so
we embark on this journey together this morning to explore the path of sin --
not that we might glorify sin in any way -- but that we might expose it to the
light, so that we might put it to death in our bodies through the power of the
Holy Spirit and the outpouring of grace through Christ's atoning death on the
cross
II. The Seven Deadly Sins
-- I have
been led to focus this series on what is known historically in the church as the
Seven Deadly Sins
-- now, you
need to know the modern list of the seven deadly sins is not found in the Bible
-- there are other lists of sins in the Bible, but these seven have been
focused on in the church because they are considered capital or cardinal sins
-- sins which can open the door to other sins in our lives -- in other words,
when one of these sins gets a foothold in our lives, it can start a downward
spiral of sin and disobedience in us
-- and,
even though we put these sins forth as the seven deadly sins, don't mistake
these sins as being worse than others -- they are worse only in their action of
leading to other sins -- never forget, God does not distinguish degrees of sin
-- a sin is a sin is a sin -- the sin of murder is just as heinous in the eyes
of God as the sin of gossip -- the sin of adultery is just as bad as the sin of
telling a lie -- if you break just one commandment -- if you commit just one
sin -- the Bible says you have broken the entire law and are condemned by your
actions -- so don't confuse that as we go through this series -- all sins are
equal in the eyes of God -- we are just focusing on these seven because they
are recognized as gateway sins by the church
-- real
quick, let me list the seven deadly sins for you and then we're going to go
straight into the first of the seven I want to talk about -- the seven deadly
sins recognized by the church today are:
-- wrath --
unrighteous anger
-- greed --
excessive pursuit of material possessions
-- slothfulness,
which is physical or spiritual laziness
-- pride --
exalting yourself above others or especially above God
-- lust --
which is not just the desire for others as a sexual object, but also the desire
for things someone else possesses+
-- gluttony
-- which is not just over-indulgence of food, but the over-indulgence or
over-consumption of anything -- this can be too much food or too much TV
-- and,
finally, envy -- which we're going to talk about in a lot more detail today
III. Envy (Genesis 4:1-13)
-- so what
is envy? -- what does it look like? -- how do we define it?
-- envy is
a form of covetousness -- envy is desiring another person's traits, status,
abilities or rewards for yourself, but taking it one step further -- not only
desiring it for yourself, but wanting to deprive the other person from having
it
-- a lot of
times we confuse envy with jealousy -- we think they're the same thing, but
they are two completely different concepts -- as we said, envy is desiring what
another person is or what another person rightfully has
-- jealousy
is when you possess something and you don't want to share it or you fear it
will be taken away by another person -- jealousy is when something is
rightfully yours, and you don't want to give it away
-- envy is
always a sin, but jealousy is not -- the Bible describes God as a jealous God
-- it also says that God is jealous for us -- think about it like this -- God
rightfully possesses all honor and glory and power and He is to be worshiped
and honored above all things -- the sin of the Israelites was taking their
worship from God and giving it to idols -- God was jealous in the sense that
something that was owed to Him was given to something else
-- there
are some things we possess that are not meant to be shared -- and when we are
jealous of those things, that is not a sin -- but, when we don't share other
possessions simply because we're greedy or don't want someone else to have it
out of selfish purposes, then jealousy can be a sin
-- but envy
is always a sin, because it seeks personal exaltation at the expense of another
person
-- you can
clearly see the problem with envy in the story of Wanda Holloway, the Texas
cheerleader mother -- if you remember her story, Wanda Holloway's daughter had
tried out for a spot on her junior high cheerleading squad, but lost out to
another girl -- Wanda was livid that someone else should have the spot she felt
her daughter deserved -- she was envious of that other girl's cheerleading
position
-- so she
contacted her ex-brother-in-law and asked him to hire a hitman to kill the
other girl's mother -- Wanda thought that the girl would be so upset at the
death of her mother, she would quit the team and the spot would automatically
go to the runner-up -- Wanda's daughter
--
thankfully, the ex-brother-in-law went to the police, Wanda was arrested and
ended up serving 10 years in prison for conspiracy to murder -- all because of
the sin of envy
-- Wanda's
story shows the danger of envy as a cardinal sin -- envy opened the door to
other sins -- in this case envy led to rivalry, conflict, hatred, and
eventually the desire for murder just to get what someone else possessed
-- we see
that same pattern here in Genesis 4 in the first recorded instance of envy in
the Bible, the familiar story of Cain and Abel
-- let's
look back at this passage and see where Cain's downfall began
-- verse
1-2a
Genesis 4:1-2a (NIV)
1 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."
2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
-- now
before we go further, let me point out one thing here -- when Adam and Eve
sinned in the Garden, God made a promise to them -- God promised that a Savior
would come from the seed of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent and
destroy the works of sin and death forever
-- when
Cain was born, it appears Eve assumed this was the son of prophecy -- that Cain
was the chosen one -- that Cain was the promised Messiah -- and maybe this led to
his ultimate downfall
-- perhaps,
and this is only speculation, perhaps Cain was told his whole life how special
he was -- how much better he was than Abel and all of Adam and Eve's unnamed
daughters -- perhaps he became somewhat spoiled and felt he deserved all of the
acclaim and the glory rather than his siblings -- perhaps pride opened the door
to his ultimate sin of envy
-- look at
the second part of verse 2b-5
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.
3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of
the soil as an offering to the LORD.
4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn
of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.
So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
-- so Cain
and Abel both brought offerings to God as a means of worship -- Cain, being a
farmer, brought some of the fruit of the land to God -- while Abel, a shepherd,
brought fat portions from the firstborn of the flock
-- now
while it's not really relevant to our subject today, there is something to note
here -- Abel's offering came from the firstborn -- from the best of his flock
-- while the scripture just says Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil to
the Lord -- note that it doesn't say Cain brought the firstfruits or that Cain
brought the best of the harvest -- he just brought "some" of the
fruits
-- in other
words Abel offered his best to God while Cain did not -- and God accepted
Abel's offering, but did not accept Cain's -- so Cain got angry and his face
was downcast
-- verse 6-7
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why
is your face downcast?
7 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."
-- Cain's
anger was unrighteous, and God warned him about it -- God told Cain to do what
is right -- another indication that Cain's offering was not from the
firstfruits -- and said if you do what is right, your offering will be accepted
-- God
could see the sin and temptation raging through Cain's heart -- He tells Cain
he must master it -- he must make the choice to do what is right -- he must
choose to turn away from sin and turn towards righteousness -- but Cain chose
differently
-- verse
8-13
8 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.
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother
Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's
keeper?"
10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your
brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.
11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground,
which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its
crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."
13 Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I
can bear.
-- the end
of the story we know so well -- Cain took Abel into the field and killed him --
and when confronted by God, Cain lied about his actions and was ultimately
cursed by God for his sin
-- this
story of Cain is multifaceted -- the sins of anger and pride and rivalry and
conflict and hatred and murder weave their way through this sad narrative
-- but if
you look at the ultimate cause of Cain's downfall, you have to ascribe it to
one thing -- envy
-- God
accepted Abel's offering -- God looked with favor on Abel, and not on Cain --
and Cain wanted it -- Cain wanted what Abel had -- he wanted the acclaim -- he
wanted the favor God had given Abel for himself -- he wanted it and he didn't
want Abel to have it -- and so, as in the case of Wanda Holloway, envy led to
murder
-- envy is
an insidious disease of the heart -- envy can eat you up from the inside out --
envy can lead you to more and greater sins -- anytime you strive for another's
downfall, it will ultimately lead to your own
-- Dwight
L. Moody once told the fable of an eagle who was envious of another eagle that could
fly better than he could -- One day the bird saw a sportsman with a bow and
arrow and said to him, “I wish you would bring down that eagle up there.”
-- The man
said he would if he had some feathers for his arrow -- so the envious eagle
pulled one out of his wing -- the man took aim and shot at the eagle's rival,
but the arrow didn’t quite reach the other bird because he was flying too high
above the ground
-- The
first eagle pulled out another feather, then another—until he had lost so many
that he himself couldn’t fly -- the archer realized what had just happened and,
remembering the old proverb, "a bird in the hand is worth two in the
bush," took advantage of the situation -- he turned around and killed the
helpless bird and took an eagle home to his family
-- the
point of this fable is clear -- when you are envious of others, the one you hurt
the most by your actions will always be yourself
[http://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/sermon-illustration-lou-nicholes-stories-envy-18759.asp]
-- Wanda
Holloway's envy led to her desire to kill another person and her imprisonment
for 10 years -- Cain's envy led to hatred, murder, and a lifelong curse from
God
IV. Closing
-- so what
do we do about envy? -- how can we master this sin in our own lives?
-- I think
the key is recognizing the power of envy comes from the side-long glance at
others -- envy is the result of comparing ourselves to those around us
-- in 1
Corinthians the Apostle Paul wrote to a church struggling with spiritual envy
-- members of the church were desiring the more visible spiritual gifts -- they
were envious of God's blessings on others and were following the path of Cain
-- so Paul
counseled them to stop looking at others, but to look at themselves and how God
was using them in the body of Christ -- we can't all be the eye, Paul said --
we can't all be the hands and the feet -- in order to have a body, you have to
have all parts present -- and while you may think the eye or the hands or the
feet are the better part, every part is essential and every part is needed
-- don't
desire what another has, but look at what you possess and use it to the glory
of God
-- the key
to mastering envy in our lives is to quit looking at the gifts of another and
appreciating what we have ourselves
-- In her
new book, Linda Ronstadt, the 11-time Grammy Award singer, recalls the first
time she heard fellow singer Emmylou Harris:
-- "My first reaction to it was
slightly conflicted. First, I loved her singing wildly.
-- "Second,
in my opinion, she was doing what I was trying to do, only a whole lot better.
-- "Then
came a split-second decision that I made that affected the way I listened to
and enjoyed music for the rest of my life -- I thought that if I allowed myself
to become envious of Emmy, it would be painful to listen to her, and I would
deny myself the pleasure of it.
-- "If
I simply surrendered to loving what she did, I could take my rightful place
among the other drooling Emmylou fans, and then maybe, just maybe, I might be
able to sing with her. I surrendered."
-- Linda
went on to not only sing with Emmy, but also record three award-winning albums
with her and Dolly Parton as a trio.
[Linda Ronstadt, Linda Ronstadt: Simple Dreams, a Musical
Memoir (Simon Schuster, 2013), pp. 79-80; submitted by Van Morris, Mt. Washington,
Kentucky --
http://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2013/october/3101413.html]
-- rather
than looking at another person's gifts and talents and position with envy, we
should celebrate what God is doing in them and through them -- you know, I look
at the people around me and it's easy to become envious of them -- I never was
popular in school -- I never was one of the cool kids -- I wasn't comfortable
being around people -- talking to people -- sharing with them -- and it's still
that way today
-- but I
have to come to understand God has just made some people more likable than me
-- more outgoing -- more encouraging -- He's certainly made better preachers
and better teachers -- there are people who are so comfortable and so easy with
evangelism and sharing their faith and inviting people to church and I think,
"I want that -- I want to be able to do that"
-- but I've
come to realize that is not me -- that's not who God made me to be -- and that's
okay -- I can look at those people and see how God is using them and say,
"You're doing a great job for the kingdom!" -- I can call them and
say, "Hey, I've got a friend I want you to talk to," and I know
they'll do much more than I ever could
-- it's a
choice I have to make to not be envious of them -- it's a choice I have to make
every day
-- and I
make that choice by casting my gaze off them and onto myself -- and when I quit
looking at what I don't have and start looking at what I do have, I can see how
I fit in God's picture -- I can see how God uses me in ways these other people
can't be used -- I may not be an eye or a hand or a foot, but God uses
kneecaps, too
-- the key
to avoiding envy is to stop looking out and start looking in -- and when you do
look outwards and see another's talents or gifts or position or status,
celebrate it and encourage them to use their blessings for God
-- envy is
overcomable -- envy is a choice -- so choose wisely today
-- let's
pray
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