1. Abel was a keeper of flocks (Gen. 4:2), and he brought an offering before God of the "firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions” (Gen. 4:4).

2. As a result of Abel's sacrifice, "the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering” (Gen. 4:4).

3. Consider why God accepted Abel's offering.

a. The best explanation is given in Hebrews 11:4 – "By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.”

i. Abel's sacrifice was given in faith, and "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).

ii. Truly, it was Abel's faith that pleased God, for "without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).

b. Thus, we see that Abel chose the way of faith, and this pleased God.

i. From our reading in Hebrews 11, we must understand that Abel gave his sacrifice because of the conviction he had about God. He was convicted that offering from the firstlings from his flock was the right way to seek God.

ii. The Scriptures do not explicitly say how Abel arrived at his conviction, but it could only be by a few possibilities – a direct commandment from God, an implication made by God, or an example learned from someone else (such as Adam). "Faith comes from hearing…” (Rom. 10:17).

iii. When Abel acted upon his faithful conviction and thus sought God, God's acceptance of his sacrifice became a testimony to his righteousness (Matt. 23:35).

1. If we knew only that Abel was killed for his way and that Cain was allowed to live in his way, we might choose the way of Can. As it is, we know much more.

a. We know that Abel's sacrifice was better, for it pleased God.

b. We know that Abel was righteous, for God has testified of this truth.

c. We know that Abel started a legacy of faith that passed on to Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, etc. (see Heb. 11). Abel is the first great example of faith recorded in the Bible, and many others followed.

2. Abel's enduring example calls upon us to follow in the way of faith. We may inherit that legacy of faith that started with Abel and pass it on to others through the word of God.

1. Cain was a tiller of the ground (Gen. 4:2), and he brought "an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground” (Gen. 4:3).

2. Unlike Abel's offering, God had no regard for Cain and his offering (Gen. 4:5).

3. Consider why God rejected Cain's sacrifice.

a. Again, we find the answer in Hebrews 11, for Abel's faithful sacrifice described as better than Cain's sacrifice (v. 4). This implies that Cain's sacrifice was made without faith.

i. Cain's faithless sacrifice could not possibly please God, for "without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Heb. 11:6).

ii. Whereas God's acceptance of Abel's sacrifice was a testimony to Abel's righteousness, God's rejection of Cain's sacrifice was a testimony to Cain's unrighteousness. John wrote that Cain's "deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous” (1John 3:12).

b. It is evident that Cain chose his own way rather than the way of faith.

i. We do not know what directions had been given to Cain and Abel regarding offerings, but it is obvious that Cain did not act according to God's expectations. Perhaps he was required to offer the firstfruits, but instead offered other fruits.

ii. When God later spoke to Cain, He indicated that Cain had not done well. He had chosen not to act in faith, but instead he acted by his own errant judgment.

1. When Cain and his offering were rejected, "Cain became very angry and his countenance fell” (Gen. 4:5).

a. Cain had no right to be angry, for it was God who was offended by Cain's sacrifice.

b. Nevertheless, God did not punish Cain for his faithlessness, but instead He lovingly admonished Cain to do better and warned him about sin (Gen. 4:6-7; see post-script application below).

2. Despite God's warning, Cain allowed his anger to grow into sin.

a. Notice Genesis 4:8 – "Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.”

b. Cain's faithlessness and anger were the seeds that found root in his evil heart and grew into a harvest of murder. Notice how the following New Testament passages shed light on the progression of Cain and warn us against following his way.

i. "You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder' and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.” (Matt. 5:21-22)

ii. "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

iii. "This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” (Jas. 1:19-20)

iv. "For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother's were righteous…Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” (1John 3:11-12, 15)

1. Abel perished at the hands of his brother, but he stills speaks through his legacy of faith. God gave the testimony that Abel was righteous (Heb. 11:4), and he surely has the reward that belongs to those who seek God (Heb. 11:6).

2. For Cain, the ground no longer yielded its strength to him, and he was hidden from the face of God and banished away as a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth (Gen. 4:11-12). His legacy is that of faithlessness, anger, murder, and evil, and he surely has the reward that is fitting of such a legacy.

1. The faithful may share the expectations of Paul: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2Tim. 4:7-8)

2. The unfaithful may expect punishment in the likeness of Cain, which is the "penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2Thess. 1:9).

3. What will be your fate?

1. Notice Genesis 4:6-7 – "Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.'”

2. In this warning, God personified sin as if it was on the verge of seizing an opportunity. This was a figurative way of describing the immediate danger that sin presented to Cain.

a. Essentially, God was warning Cain that his anger and fallen countenance made him vulnerable to sin. Cain was moving down the path described in James 1:14-15 – "But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

b. Of course, it is Satan who is the person that poses the danger of sin through temptation. Peter warns us about the devil in 1Peter 5:8 – "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

3. Consider the phrase, "Its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

a. There was a competition between Cain and sin to determine who would be the master. It was imperative for Cain's wellbeing for him to win this competition.

b. Notice how this phrase compares to God's statement to Eve in Genesis 3:16 – "…Yet your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

i. The original language of Genesis 3:16 and 4:7 is similar and the two verses have parallel messages: Eve would seek to rule her husband, but he must rule her, and sin would seek to master Cain, but he must master it.

ii. This aspect of Genesis 3:16 is not often taught, but the comparison with Genesis 4:7 is undeniable and helpful for us to understand the husband-wife relationship.

1. Sin seeks opportunities in moments of weakness.

a. Anger creates an opportunity for sin that you must manage carefully: "‘Be angry, and yet do not sin'; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity… Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice” (Eph. 4:26-27, 31).

b. Fear of men and worldly woes causes weakness of faith that leads to faithless, cowardly, sinful decisions and actions (Matt. 10:28; 25:24-25; John 12:42-43; Rev. 21:8).

c. Ignorance opens an opportunity for sin because the ignorant are rendered insensitive to sin (Eph. 4:17-19; 1Tim. 1:13).

d. Deception causes a person to believe that which is false and leads him into the danger of sin (John 8:44; 2Cor. 4:4; 11:3, 13-15; 2Thess. 2:10; Tit. 3:3).

2. Sin is a cruel master that holds its servants captive.

a. Sin lures its victims with the promise of pleasure, gratification, and prestige (1John 2:16), but it then holds them in the power of death that is inescapable but for the grace of God.

b. Sin has no mercy, grace, or benevolence. It gives only the wages of death (Rom. 6:23).

1. Only through Jesus Christ may we have mastery over "sin which so easily entangles us” (Heb. 12:1; see also 1Cor. 15:55-57; Heb. 2:14-15).

2. Mastering sin is a matter of resolving to serve the Lord Jesus Christ through righteousness. Notice Romans 6:12-18:

"Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”