Bayside Baptist Church

Jason King: I'm glad you're here today. We're going to look at a passage of Scripture from our Life Journal. The Life Journal is a tool that we put in your hands, and if you don't have one, please stop by the Guest Services area on the way out today and grab one. It's a tool that we give to you for free because we want you to learn how to walk with the Lord. It's a tool that we use to read through the Scriptures, but to do more than just check a box and read a page. We want to hear God speak to us through His Word.

Often on a weekend like this, we'll be looking at a passage that we've read or been a part of. This is from the past, but I do want to talk to you about this today. Today, I believe one of the most difficult challenges that comes across your life and mine is that we are told that we are the masters of our own destiny. In so many ways, we feel like we are. We choose the schools that we go to, the jobs we take, the areas we live in, the friends we have, and on and on. We're told in many ways that if we'll just do things our way, if we'll follow our hearts or go where our dreams lead us, that's where we find true success.

Cartoons today tell kids they can be anything they want to be and do anything that they want to do. Modern psychobabble that fills social media tells us that whatever we want to be, whatever we want to do, and whoever we want to become, no one should be able to stop us. It says that life is on our terms and that you write the script for your life. That sounds really awesome if you say it fast, and it may look good on an Instagram story or in a soundbite, but it's just not true.

For example, Shaquille O'Neal is never going to ride a horse as a jockey in the Kentucky Derby. It isn't going to happen. It doesn't matter how many times his mama told him he could do whatever he wanted to do or how much he believes it. In the same way, any of the jockeys of the Kentucky Derby are never going to play in the NBA. It doesn't matter what they believe. There's just a reality that sometimes what we want and what we feel is not always reality. That realization that you can't do whatever you want to do and that you're ultimately not in control of your destiny can be a harsh reality.

When you realize that truth, how do you respond? Do you double down and try to make things work like you want them to? Do you try to squeeze that square peg in that round hole even more? Or do you just resign yourself to live in quiet desperation, cynicism, and disappointment in life because you can't have what you want?

Unfortunately, some people respond like a man named Ernest Dickerman. At age 87, he was considered the grandfather of the eastern wilderness by the Sierra Club. He was an outdoorsman, and yet he was found after having taken his own life near his cabin in the mountains of Virginia. When he left his note behind, he said that he could not cope with being unable to control his own destiny. He said, "I could not handle not being the master of my own fate in the wild country."

I want to ask you a question today. Are you living your life on your terms right now? When you think about what you do, where you are, what you're involved in, how you spend your time, and how you engage other parts of your life, do you believe by what you do that you are the master of your own fate? A lot of us start out that way, and some people may be living there today. But the reality is that just like in life, we are told that we can do whatever we want to do and that it's up to us to become what we want to become, and that if you go to church, God will help you do that.

But we're going to look at a passage today that challenges that. The message of Scripture is that God has revealed Himself. You and I don't give this book meaning. We don't write the script how we want to write it. God has revealed who He is, what He calls us towards, what He requires of us, and what He invites us to experience. It's been given to us objectively in His Word. That means that you and I don't get to dictate and determine what our spiritual lives look like. God has revealed that to us.

Instead of this being a picture of spiritual maturity, we make it a "spiritual do-it-yourself." If I can figure out how to do it, why would I want to ask somebody else how to do it? A lot of times we look at our spiritual lives that way. But instead of it being a picture of spiritual maturity where you just pull up your bootstraps and figure it out, that actually tells us that we miss the picture of God's design for our lives. When we approach God like we handle everything else in life on our terms, what we find is not empowerment and fulfillment; what we find is destruction.

In Genesis chapter 4, this is a story that unfolds the reality for us. It is a story of two men who give us a contrast in the way that they approached their lives. One man lived life on his own terms, and the other looked at it from the perspective of who God is and lived life on God's terms. One of the things that God reveals to us through the story and throughout the pages of Scripture is that God requires you and me to look at life through His lens, not our own.

The struggle is real because a lot of us try to fit God into a box or make God be who we would like for Him to be. But today, I want you to see that God is inviting us to a fresh start on His terms. I want to talk to you from this story of Cain and Abel about some ways that you will be tempted to live life on your own terms. The first temptation that you're going to face is that you give God the minimum. In other words, whatever the least amount is that you can give God of your life, that's what you're going to do.

The text says that Adam and Eve had a son named Cain, and then they had a second son they named Abel. When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd while Cain cultivated the ground. When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift: the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but He did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

Cain is a farmer and Abel is a shepherd. When it comes time for harvest, both of them gave an offering to the Lord. But did you notice in the text there was a difference in the offerings that they gave? It says Cain gave "some." He gave some of what God had given to him. But in contrast, Abel did it differently; he brought God the best of his flock. And then God responded by accepting Abel's gift and rejecting Cain's. Doesn't it seem harsh that He would reject Cain? After all, Cain did something. There were probably people in that day that did nothing.

Cain did something, so why did He reject Cain's offering? Was it because Abel gave more? No. It was because of the difference in their hearts. The amount was not what was important; it was the heart that brought this offering. Cain brought some of what he had, while Abel brought the best of what he had. Cain brought some leftovers to God, while Abel brought his first and his best. You know how it is with leftovers. It is rare that the leftovers are better than the first.

Both of these guys have been blessed by the Lord and had everything that they needed. But in that moment, Cain decided he would just give the minimum and see what he could get by with, instead of giving what was first and best. There's the temptation for you and I to do that today. Instead of taking your tithes and offerings off the top of what you earn and giving back to God first, it's tempting to wait until right before you get paid again to make sure that you've got enough money to get by first.

But we don't just do it with money. We give God the minimum in other areas of our life. For example, if you're trying to read the Word and learn to walk with God, it's so tempting to do it right before you go to sleep, and yet you wonder why you can't think and you're tired. Or maybe it's at work when you're in a hurry and you squeeze out what should be a priority in your life of listening to God. How often do we go through a day without so much as thinking about God at work beyond a token prayer at a meal or before bedtime?

That was Cain's problem. It was a token offering. He looked religious and appeared to be spiritual, but his heart was not totally dependent on God. Isn't it easy to look religious today? To appear really spiritual when it's not the case at all? That's one of the greatest struggles of the church today, especially in the South. It is very comfortable to have the appearance of godliness but to lack the actual godliness that flows from our hearts.

God calls us to a heart that is right and flows from the inside to the outside. When you're living this life that's on the outside appearing religious, often times it's only you and God that know the truth. That was Jesus' problem with the religious leaders of His day. These guys looked super spiritual to everybody else, but Jesus said they were missing the point. The outside of their lives was spotless, but there was a void inside of them.

In this moment, Cain reached in his pocket and gave some of what he had left over instead of offering himself to the Lord first. And then when Cain saw that God was blessing his brother, it didn't cause him to think about what he did wrong; it ticked him off. He looked over to see what Abel was doing, and Abel was doing what he should have been doing: giving his best from his first fruits.

The Christian life is to offer your best to God first, no matter what it is. Don't try to see what's the minimum that you can get away with in your spiritual life, but offer God your best. Don't give Him your leftovers. First John 3:12 says, "We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one." His actions revealed his heart. Although it may have appeared spiritual on the outside, his actions revealed his heart. And why did he kill his brother Abel? Because Cain had been doing what was evil and his brother had been doing what was righteous.

We're not asking you to change what you do to try to appear a certain way to certain people. We're asking you to let the Spirit of God do a work in you that flows out of your life. John says that if we are acting as Cain, giving God our leftovers in any area of life, he says it's evil. It's the opposite of what God calls us to. No matter what you do, God desires your best.

Do you remember the story in Mark chapter 12? Jesus sat down near the collection box in the temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came in and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called His disciples together and said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, as poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on."

Jesus knew that this woman was expressing a dependence upon God that affected how she lived. That's the heart that God wants to grow in us. So I want to ask you, not just with your money, but with your time and with your energy and efforts, are you giving God your best, or are you giving Him the minimum? Have you opened up your life and given Him all of you? God wants your best because that's the place of blessing.

There's another way that you may be tempted to live life on your own terms. The second thing that you see in this passage is that you let pride drive your decisions. Look at the second half of verse five in chapter four. It says, "This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected." God said to him, "Why are you so angry? Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at your door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master."

One day, Cain suggested to his brother, "Let's go out in the fields." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and he killed him. Cain was angry because he knew Abel's offering was better and that God had accepted it. But he didn't even want to do right when he was given the opportunity. God said, "Why are you so ticked off? If you choose to do what's right, it's all good. You've made a mistake, but what you do in this moment dictates where you go in the future."

If you choose to double down and let your pride control your decision, then there's trouble that's coming. In other words, if you are to repent and turn from your sin, it's all good. But if you refuse to admit it and to repent, then watch out. Sin is crouching at your door. Instead of repenting or saying, "God, I messed up," pride took over. Cain took his brother out to the field and he killed him to cover his issues and to make himself feel better.

All Cain had to do was admit that he had done wrong and go make it right. But he didn't. His pride consumed him and it ultimately shaped the rest of his life. I want to ask some of us here today, maybe it is your brother, a parent, a spouse, a boss, or someone else in the church. There is something that you know you find yourself right now in the shoes of Cain, where you know the Spirit of God has whispered that you need to make that right. You need to just say you're sorry. But you are convinced that you can't do that.

The Bible tells us that sin quickly takes over in our lives. The question for us today is will you master sin, or will you double down and let sin master you? First Peter 5:8 says, "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." But the Bible says sin doesn't have to master you. There is a way out every single time that you're tempted.

First Corinthians 10:13 says, "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience." The enemy is going to whisper in your ear and convince you that nobody has done anybody else this way, so you have justification. But Paul says the temptations in your life are no different. Stronger than your temptation is the faithfulness of God. God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than what you can stand.

Cain tries to hide his thoughts from God. Even though he knows what's right and what's wrong, he ignores it and he does what he wants to do anyway. God even tried to restore Cain, but Cain didn't want anything to do with it. Have you ever refused to listen to God? Maybe you know the right thing to do, but you also know that it's going to take eating a piece of humble pie. I can't tell you the number of times that I have sat down with individuals that refuse to admit that they've done anything wrong. They practice finger-pointing instead.

So they make a bigger mess with their families or their marriages stay in shambles. They won't turn from the path that they're on because "it's the principle of the thing." But if that's you, can I tell you that's just a big bologna sandwich. The principle of the thing is that you don't want to admit that you're wrong and reconcile. Don't allow pride to keep you from getting right with God. It's a struggle in my heart and in your heart. So swallow your pride and take a step of faith right now, even if you're scared of what's going to come of it.

The final way that we try to live our lives on our own terms is we are often tempted to believe that there are no consequences for our sin. Afterward, the Lord asked Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" Cain responded, "I don't know. Am I my brother's guardian?" But the Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground! Now you are cursed and banished from the ground. No longer will the ground yield good crops for you. From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth."

Cain replied to the Lord, "My punishment is too great for me to bear! You've banished me from the land and from your presence. Anyone who finds me will kill me." The Lord put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him. So Cain left the Lord's presence and he settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Cain thought that his choice didn't have any repercussions in his life. He tried to ignore it, but it followed him. He left the presence of God; it's a spiritual description more than it is a physical description.

We're told that there's no consequences for our sins repeatedly. But you can choose your sins, but you cannot choose your consequences. Isn't that so true? We're tempted to believe we can do things our way and it has no bearing on our future, but it's a lie. Our sins always take us away from God into consequences that we just don't get to choose. You can choose to walk away from God's plan for your life, but you cannot choose what happens in your life.

It's tempting to believe that nobody will ever find out, but they will. We often want to believe we're the exception, but we're not. If you're in the faith, God is working through the consequences to bring you back to walking in step with Him. And if you're not in the faith, God will use the consequences of your sin to bring you to a place of trusting in Christ and finding life.

You can choose pornography, but you can't choose the consequences that come as your brain is reshaped and your desires are morphed. You can choose to live with your date, but you can't choose the consequences that come into your own life and into that relationship when you do it on your own terms. You can choose to leave God out of your finances, but you can't choose the consequences that come, feeling like your money just never lasts. You can choose to lie or forsake integrity, but you can't choose the consequences that follow with your job or your family.

The consequences of our sin follow us through life. Sometimes we just don't get it, just like Cain. We neglect the reality that God wants to use even our consequences to bring us to faith. He loves you too much to just let you do whatever it is that you want to do without consequences. The Scriptures tell us that God wants us to choose to live in such a way that He is at the center of what we do.

Hebrews chapter 12 says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us." This sin so easily entangles you and suffocates you spiritually. When we cover our sin and hold our sin in, it sucks the life out of you. That's what happens to our hearts and our lives.

When we choose sin, the consequences that come are not only the direct consequences of our choices in relationships or at work, but there's a spiritual consequence. And the spiritual consequence is that we move further and further away from God, and ultimately sin will suffocate you. God doesn't wink at our sin, and that's the unfortunate reality of being human. We're all filled with sin. And we try to fix it on our own.

God has revealed to us in His Word that there is one way to solve the problem of sin. It's by faith. He sent Jesus Christ to this earth to pay the price for your sin and for mine. When you believe in Jesus, He covers you with forgiveness and He gives you new life. He gives you His Holy Spirit who enables you to choose the way of life. It's the way of repentance and confession. When you own your sin, God covers it and He forgives it when we confess it.

We don't get to write the script. We respond to the love that God has demonstrated to us in sending Jesus Christ. That's His terms and it's His way. It's so much better than what you and I can do. He offers you a fresh start. He invites you today to do life on His terms, by faith in the power of His Spirit. All you need to do is simply call on His name in faith. Let's pray together.