Conquering Cain | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

Praise the Lord everybody. If you have your Bibles we would go to the book of Genesis chapter 4 verse number one. It is so good to see everybody in the house of the Lord this morning. And especially the time of year that it is, it's summertime. And I've often said we have such hardworking people around here that when the summertime comes and vacation time comes, I'm not calling you rats. I'm just saying it resembles rats off a sinking ship. I mean, people are going in every different direction on vacation. And we just got a um a great amount of people that normally would be here this morning, but they're not. They're on vacation. But we have a house full of people this morning. And I'm so I'm so thankful for that. You know, I'm not only thankful today to have the house of God. How many's glad to have a house of God? >> Glad to have a house of God. But having a house of God is like being married. You can either be married or happily married. All right? It's one thing to have a house of God. It's another thing to pastor a great group of people that have a desire to be in the house of God. So, would you give yourself a big hand this morning? Thank you so much. And this one last thing I'd like to say before I read my text. We had a precious and if she would please give her pastor a little forgiveness this morning. I have not yet learned the pronunciation of her name, but this precious lady, precious Chinese lady that received the gift of the Holy Ghost and was baptized last Sunday morning that speaks Mandarin Chinese. And uh I I one of the things we she she received the Holy Ghost and she was baptized last Sunday morning. But during prayer time this week, you know, we have prayer designated from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. here in the auditorium five days a week, Monday through Friday. I was here on two days this week. And I heard, you know, I pretty well hear people and know who it is that's praying. But I heard a sound that I hadn't heard before. And I heard a tongue that I hadn't heard. And I looked and this precious lady was up here before the Lord during the day just praying and talking to God. I think that's wonderful. You're you're on the right track. You're on the right track. In Genesis 4, verse number one, Adam knew Eve his wife. She conceived and bear Cain and said, "I have gotten a man from the Lord. She again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, that Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time, it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. Abel he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering. But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. Cain was very w that means angry. And his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, "Why art thou wroth? Why are you angry? Why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lith at the door, unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother. And it came to pass when they were in the field that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. The Lord said unto Cain, "Where is Abel thy brother?" And he said, I know not. Am I my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crith unto me from the ground, and now art thou cursed above from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thine hand. When thou tellst the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto her thee her strength. A fugitive, and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. Cain said unto the Lord, my punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth, and from thy face shall I be hid, and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth. And it shall come to pass that everyone that findeth me shall slay me. And the Lord said unto him, Therefore, whosoever slayth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. I want to minister for a few moments today on the simple subject of conquering Cain. Conquering. Conquering Cain. You have a prayer request this morning. Would you lift your hand up right now? Precious God, we come before you today and we have read your word. We have praised your name. We have exalted your name. Lord, we have made a joyful noise unto you. Lord, we have honored those God. We have honored our first lady today and we have given her special honor and recognition and I thank you Lord Jesus. Today I pray for those and especially Mother Xander and brother Xiender. I pray Lord that your comforting touch would be upon both of them in their bodies, souls and spirits. Lord, I pray for all those today that are in need in this building. And Lord, mostly I pray right now that you would condition our hearts to receive this word this morning. Lord, I believe that you want to speak to us. I believe, God, that you want to help us. I believe that you're a good God and you're a loving God and you're a forgiving God and you're the God of a second chance. And Lord, I just ask you to move upon the congregation today in Jesus wonderful name we pray. And everybody said, "Amen." Would you be so kind to give the Lord a great hand clap of praise as you're being seated this morning? You realize that we have the Old Testament for many reasons. We have the Old Testament of to show to us the prophecy of Jesus Christ. And the Old Testament is chocked full of prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ and prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled in the church today. But mainly the prophecies of Jesus Christ. But the Old Testament deals with the history of man from the beginning of creation. It deals with man imperfection. It deals with man and fallen sin. It deals with and reveals to us redemption. And it's more than just a history lesson today. We're told not only once, but we're told twice in the Bible. Romans 15:4 and 1 Corinthians 10:11 that these things the Old Testament are written, the Old Testament is written for our admonition. It is written for our learning. It is written for us to look at it and to learn from it. And what is the old saying? You can help me repeat. You can help me if you can help me on this. What is the old saying? If we don't learn from history, we're bound to what? >> We're we're bound to repeat history. So, we're given stories in the Old Testament so that we can study them. Then we can analyze them and so that we can uh if there's a a a person in the Old Testament that did something that pleased the Lord, we can read about that and learn from that and we can follow suit. Amen. And if there's something that a person did that did not please the Lord, we can see the whole scope of it from beginning and ending. And we can we can we can learn from that. I I've chosen today a story in the Old Testament about a man called Cain. A man called Cain. Title today is conquering Cain. Because Cain was a man that gave in. He gave in to anger. He gave in to resentment. And uh giving in to anger. And of course today, if we could all be transparent with ourselves, we've all dealt with anger. We've all dealt with anger. And uh if you're saying you've not dealt with anger, you need to first deal with telling the truth. All right? We've all dealt we've all dealt with anger. And anger is an interesting emotion because there are some things that we should be angry about. All right? There's some things that that we should be angry about and there are some things that when we do get angry, God has put a standard upon it. And God has said, "Don't stay angry long. Don't let the sun go down on your anger. Don't don't stay angry. Don't stay angry long. But we understand that Cain was a man given to number one, resentment. And number two, he was a man that gave in to anger. Let me give you a little background on Cain. If you'd let me kind of run in a slow gear for a little bit this morning, a little background on this man called Cain. It appears that he is the first human born through God's creative way of human reproduction. reproduction. Although the Bible doesn't specifically say that he is the first human born through through human reproduction reproduction, a man and a woman, it certainly indicates that Cain was the first human. When grown, he was he he will follow his father's footsteps. And what I mean by that, he will become a farmer. He will become a farmer. He will follow in his father Adam's footsteps and he will begin to farm. Farming even today is hard is hard work. We have farmers here at our church and uh talking to them even though we have modern tools today to teal the ground and plant seed and uh irrigation and such even today farming is hard work. But imagine with me in Cain's day with no modern tools to work the ground. Now just imagine with me, as difficult as farming is today, back in Cain's day, they had no modern tools to teal the ground. It would be long days and short nights, sunburnt necks, blistered hands until thick calluses would be formed. It would be sweat, dust, and disappointments. Cain's early childhood memories of Cain would be with him and his father and his brother as they made their way as they made their way to an open space there east of Eden. They would make their way as a small child. The memories would come to Cain. He didn't know why. He didn't know why that possibly once a year his father would slay a lamb and not only slay the lamb but skin the lamb. He didn't know why that his father would take the bloody carcass of the lamb down to a place on the east of Eden. There was a very unusual sight there. A very unusual site because there was suspended in air a flaming sword that turned every way. There were not only a flaming sword that turned every way as to protect the entrance to the garden of Eden, but there were cherubams. There were these angelic beings that were there and they were there and the sword was there to protect the tree of life so that man in his sinful condition would not go into the garden, live in his sin and take of the tree of life. For some time this was something that Cain didn't understand. He didn't understand why his father did this. But as Cain got older, Cain began to realize something. As Cain got older, no doubt Adam told Cain the story. He told Cain the story of your mother and I that lived in a paradise. Your mother and I that lived in the Garden of Eden. your mother and I that lived and were clothed with the shikana glory of God. Only one commandment from our good God and that was we were not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. and serpent Satan came and tempted us, tempted your mother and myself. And we walked in to that sin and we took of the fruit and we broke the commandment. And upon breaking the commandment, a death sentence started in us. And upon breaking the commandment, I was told that now when I would till the ground that the ground would be cursed. That's what God said about the ground. God said, Adam, the ground is cursed because of what you have done. I have placed a curse upon the ground. You will till the ground, but the ground will no longer yield to you her strength. As a matter of fact, you will you will work the ground. You will work the ground. And the best you can do with the ground, the ground will bring forth thorns and thistles. that is a small flower with little spikes in it. It'll bring forth these unwanted uh painful reminders of sin. And not only that, but you will be expelled from the Garden of Eden. Can't you see a light coming on in Cain's mind? He didn't know any different any difference. He didn't know the difference. He had just been raised with long days and short nights and sunburnt necks and blistered hands. And he had just been raised with thorns and thistles. He had just been raised with a hard way to provide for himself. But now Cain enters in with knowledge. And Cain understands I have taken on an occupation that is cursed. I have taken on. Can you imagine with me? Cain comes to the realization through his father Adam that this is a Godcursed occupation. It is a needful occupation. But it is a God-cursed occupation. It is it is long days and short nights and calloused hands and sore backs and disappointed harvestes and thorns and thistles. So now I not only have to deal with that but I have to deal that it's not my fault for the reason this occupation is cursed. You you see it's difficult. Would you not agree with me church? It is difficult to have difficulties that are the fault of your own. I It is difficult even to deal with this the consequences of wrong decisions and bad mistakes and the like. It's difficult to deal with that knowing that I brought this on. But how about when you have to deal with it that you had nothing to do with it? >> Yeah, think about it. How about having to deal with long nights and long days and short nights and sore backs and disappointment knowing it's all because of somebody else. It's all because of my father. I'm dealing with this today because this is what my father did. And I want you to I want us I want to personalize uh the sniter. I want to personalize Cain for a moment because sometimes we just have a character in the Bible and and and we just villainize him from the very beginning. You know, it's Cain. It's Cain. But but but we all have Cain in us. Every one of us have Cain in us. And it's how we will deal with resentment and anger that's going to determine whether we conquer Cain or Cain conquers us. >> I'll be the first to tell you today that I certainly want to conquer the Cain in me. >> And I don't want Cain to conquer me because Cain's ending is not is not well. So Cain begins to deal with resentment. And to make matters worse, to believe that once a year that Cain had to go to his brother's flock because after all, his brother Abel was a keeper of sheep. He was a shepherd. And you can search the Bible if you will. You'll find that God cursed the ground, but you won't find that God cursed the sheep. There's no curse upon the sheep. As a matter of fact, today I wouldn't want to get into an open debate or even a debate in the in the aisle today, but I believe that being a farmer would be much harder work than being a shepherd. All right? You know, sheep, you get down a routine, and sheep, you you you know, you get a routine. It's it's this pasture here. It's taking them to this gate here. It's hurting them here. It's taking them here. It's this and that. But when you're a farmer, you don't know. Is it going to rain? Am I going to have enough rain? Am I going to have a harvest? Am I going to have this? Am I going to have that? So see with me today that once a year he had to go to his brother's flock. He had to go, which I will call he had to go among a blessed man. Isn't it something today? A lot of resentment can come in our lives when we begin to compare ourselves with others. As a matter of fact, you might have resentment if you're repeatingly saying these words. Well, it's just not fair. Well, it's just not fair. Well, it's it's it's just not fair what was done to me. It's it just wasn't fair that that it just not fair that she walked away. It's just not fair that he walked away. It's just not fair that my kids have done It's just not fair that the factory shut down. It It's just not fair that I've got the spot of cancer. It's just not fair. I'm going to tell you something today. Life has never been fair. >> But God has always been just. God has always You're going to win in the end if you'll keep your hand in the hand of the good Lord. Regardless of how unfair life, once a year I have to go among my brother, he has no callous hands. He doesn't have many late nights. He can sit under a shade tree and take care of sheep. He sits in green pastures. He has oil. He has a table. But I begin to resent. I begin to resent. I believe resentment believe resentment today is the seed of anger. Believe before anyone ever gets really angry, I believe they have a seed of resentment. Resentment. You see, resentment, if it's not taken care of, you don't understand today. Let me say that again. Life is not fair. Don't try to figure it out. Because if you try to figure out why this happened and why that didn't happen, and you try, let me say, you don't try to figure out God. You don't try to figure out God. Stand at a funeral of a 19-month-old baby that wandered out into a street and got killed. His mom is, by the way, his mother and father will be here with us tonight. They're coming in early for camp. Try to stand up. Try to stand up and make some sense out. Let me tell you something. Don't ever try to make sense out of God. >> Just trust him. >> Don't ever try to figure him out because your your brain is not wired to figure out God. But just trust God. Trust God when you're being blessed. Anybody here today, you say, "Well, I don't know why I'm in the shape I am." That goes both ways. There's been times I've done without. There's been times I' i've not had enough that I've wondered why am I here? And there's times I've had more than enough >> that I've had to stand and say, "I don't know why I'm blessed the way I am. I don't know why things are falling the way that they're falling." So stop trying to figure God out and just would you just trust him today? Would you just be willing to say, "God, I'm not going to allow resentment to be in my heart. I'm just going to trust you today. Got a good report? Praise him. Got a good Got a bad report? Trust him because I got news for you. It's all going to work out in the end if we trust our God. >> Resentment. You see, if you don't deal with resentment, go with me now. Go with me. How we doing so far today? >> How we doing? Little little quiet, but I something I got on my heart today because I think that resentment is not only something that older people get. I think that we have young people. I think we got youth here today that life's not been fair to you. It's not been fair to you. You know, I could have as a young man with my father dying at 16, I could have got resentment because my best friend, my best friend had fathers and mothers both in the church. I could have allowed resentment to come and say, guess what I could have said? It's not fair. It's not fair. But if you only focus on what's not fair, you neglect the potential that you have of making something out of your life. You just focus in on this is not fair. This is not fair. You lose out. You're full of potential, young man. >> You're full of potential, young girl. You're full of potential, young married couple. What's that song? I am a promise. I am a possibility. >> I am a promise with a capital P. I'm a great big bundle of potentiality. That's who we are. But if I just get my mind on it's not there. I neglect over here all the seeds that I could take that God doesn't look at me when I come to the altar. Is my daddy at home? Is my mom at home? Do I know my daddy? Do I even know my mama? God doesn't look at you when you come to the altar and put your hands up. He only looks at you and he says, "I'm able to take you." >> Aren't you thankful God just sees you when you come to the altar? >> Aren't you thankful that God just sees you when you come to the altar? And you know something? If God wants you in a place of prosperity, there's not enough devils in hell. There's not enough dysfunctional families to keep you back as long as you put your life in the hands of God. And don't let resentment come. You know what you need? You You know what's a good medicine for resentment? Rejoice over what someone has. >> You know what's a good You know what's a good medicine for resentment? When you go among someone that has something you when when you're from the cursed environment and you walk into the blessed environment, you know what you need to do when you walk in and say, "I'm thankful my brother's blessed. I'm thankful my brother's got the blessings of God." One way, one way for God not to bless you is for you to be jealous of somebody else. >> God will never bless jealousy, but he will bless gratitude. And if I can look at somebody that's prosperous and say, "Man, look at the blessings of God. I have more of a chance of God blessing me because I'm rejoicing over them, well, you know this, and you know what, they I doubt God, you know, they're they're shady in their business and all that. Come on, life isn't fair, but God is just. Let's deal with the cane. Here's the problem with resentment. Here's the problem with resentment. Resentment led Cain to pondering. It led Cain to pondering. Let me see something here. My father taught me how to worship. I really want you to stay stay glued on me. Cain says, "My father taught me how to worship. He taught me that it was a a a sacrifice. It taught me it was a lamb. It taught me it was blood. It taught me that after all. After all, it was my father that brought the mistake on. After all, now now stay with me, please. After all, it was my father that disobeyed God. So if my father is flawed, how can I be sure that he really told us how to worship correctly? You you see, I'll tell you as a leader today, I'll tell you as a pastor of a church and a leader of in an organization and uh I'll tell you this today, it's getting so difficult in the day that we live in to say I, Kenneth Carpenter, I'm not perfect. It's it's getting very difficult to publicly say that. I'm gonna tell you why. Because the Christian critics, >> will jump on that >> and they will begin to say, "Oh man, he's morally he's he's done some kind of sexual immoral act. He he's he's he's a thief. He's this and he's that." No, no, no, no. When I say that I'm not perfect, I'm really saying I'm human. When I say I'm not perfect, I'm really saying I'm not God. >> I'm really saying that I'm at my best. I'm flawed, >> but I'm trying to do what God >> tells us to do. But you see, if you allow resentment to get in your crawl, if you allow resentment to get in your spirit, you will begin to question spiritual authorities, whether they be your pastor or your mom and dad. You'll begin to question, well, they're flawed, but they're telling me to worship this way or they're flawed and they're telling me to worship and and and listen to me today. There are people that have changed what they believe and changed the way they worshiped because they carried resentment in their heart. And they begin to look at biblical leadership and say, "Well, if they were flawed here, they may be flawed there." That's why the Bible says, let me bring it back to Cain. There came a day in the process of time that Cain decided to bring a different worship. The Bible says it. The Bible says in the process of time it came that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to the Lord. Could it be today I believe I'm on safe ground today to say that Cain probably begin to say, you know, my father's so flawed. My father is so flawed. You know, I know he he he said it had to be a lamb and he said it had to be skinned and he said it had to be that. But I'm getting a little tired of having to go visit the blessed. I'm just getting a little tired of having to go to Abel every year. I'm just getting a little bit tired and I just think that God should accept this here. Can I just plead with you today? No one in this church has ever claimed, is not claiming, and should never claim to be perfect. We are not perfect. We are a flawed group of people. But when perfection comes, it's going to be when a trumpet sounds and we're changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and we're caught up to a perfect savior to go to a perfect heaven and live in a perfect eternity. That's when I'll be perfect. So regardless of what happens in your life, don't allow resentment to be there. >> Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to the Lord. Isn't it amazing? Isn't it amazing? people that want even people that have decided to worship and believe a different way will later testify, well, I'm here worshiping in a different place, in a different way and believing a different thing, but it still it just doesn't feel the same. It's a sad thing when testimonies come back of little children that have been saturated in the anointing of God and truth. Little children will tell their parents, "Just doesn't feel right in here. Just doesn't feel right in here." You You know why it doesn't feel right? Because it's not the offering God said to bring. >> And so Cain brings this beautiful Oh, the the fruit. The fruit. and and uh we were blessed this past week with a big tote of uh things from uh the Wideners Garden, the newcomers. I don't know how many garden there but Lance and we were just blessed with a big beautiful beautiful not only delicious but beautiful beautiful to look at the the tomatoes and and and and the squash and and and zucchini and all oh all oh well we we'll get out here early today for lunch if I keep on talking. >> It's beautiful to look at. Cain sets his beautiful basket down. Abel brings a skinned lamb and lays it down. Probably has to fight flies off of it. Kylin probably has to bat some flies off of it. Here's a skinned lamb that he lays down. But here's the difference. God had respect unto Abel in his offering. But unto Cain in his offering, God had no respect. Now, we we believe with all of our hearts that how that was known was that fire from God fell down. And that's the best way to describe it. That fire came down and consumed the sacrifice. And of course, that would definitely validate who's who. But upon Cain's offering, it begin to show the black spots of decay upon Cain's offering. And when Cain witnessed that his offering was not accepted, resentment turned to anger. Wroth. He became wroth. He became mad. Can I tell you, you can't hide anger? >> Because two things are mentioned. Two things God said. Why are you angry? And why is your countenance fallen? In other words, why have you allowed this anger to be in your heart that what is on the inside of your heart has affected your face? You can tell. I'm going to tell you something. You can't hide anger. Anger will tell in the sparkle of your eye. Anger will tell in the scowl on your face. Anger anger will come out. And he said, "Why? Why are you angry? Why is your countenance fallen? Listen to this good God. Don't we serve a good God today? >> Listen to this good God." Noah, listen to him. He says, "Cain, if you do well, will I not accept you if you do well? But if you don't do well, Cain, sin, like a crouching lion is at your door waiting to pounce upon you." Now, what was God saying? What what a great God. He said, "You know why I don't respect this? You know this is not the sacrifice. Aren't you glad today that we serve a God of a second chance? >> How about you today? Second chance is not one two. Second chance is an attitude. >> We serve a God of an attitude of a second chance. >> That's the God we serve today. So when we're full of resentment and anger and we're all mad and we're all uptight, God is saying, "Buddy, buddy, don't you know if you just do well, you know what to do. You know how to pray and pray through. You know how to get that out of your heart. You know how to do that. But come on, just just get up and do well. >> You'll be accepted. I'll accept you." Isn't he a good God to give us a second chance? It's a good God. Give us a second chance. But do you know a second chance is only a second chance if you take the opportunity. You don't take the opportunity. God's a god of a second chance. The last thing in the world God wants you to do is go to hell. >> The last thing in the world God wants you to be his curse. The last thing in the world is God to God wants you to live without his blessings upon your life. That's the last thing God wants. But just because God wants it doesn't mean we get it. We got to reach out to it. We got to accept it. We gota we gota Years ago it went all the way years ago this went all the way to the Supreme Court. There was a man on death row that a president going out of office decided to give him a pardon. He wanted to give him a pardon. And he pardoned a presidential pardon to a man on death row. But when they brought the man the presidential pardon, it required his signature. And the man, history tells that the man did not accept the presidential pardon. He didn't accept that the president had pardoned him and he didn't know what to do with him. We got a man on death row. We got a man that's got a presidential pardon. What do we do with this man? They One court said this, one court said it went all the way to the Supreme Supreme Court, the highest court in our land. It went all the way to to them. And the Supreme Court ruled this way. Said the presidential pardon is only of power if it is accepted. If it is not accepted, it is of no value. Can I tell you, we have got the prince of all prince. We've got the prince of peace. We've got the father of all blessings that has given us a presidential pardon from the curse that is in this life. But what we've got to do is reach out and say, "God, I'm going to correct my behavior. God, I'm going to get rid of that resentment. God, I'm going to rejoice with them that are blessed. God, I'm not going to look at me and say, "It's unfair. Why is this me and all this?" I'm just going to serve you, God, with joy unspeakable and full of glory. But how many will will help me today? How many knows that when God corrects us and we don't accept it? How many know things go from bad to worse? Bad good. Hey, even heaven amened me just now. >> Amen. I guess, brother Wales, I'm preaching up a storm today. Things go from bad to worse. And so, it's in the rain, Lord. >> Things go from bad to worse. And then Cain goes to talk to his brother Abel in the field. Now, let me give you a little advice today. People that won't listen to God won't listen to you. >> That's good. I said it. >> I said people that won't listen to God, they won't listen to you. You know, it's it's time out, Brother Ibans. It's time out. When I sit down in my office and somebody says, "Now, Brother Carpenter, God told me ABC and God told me uh ABC and God told me to do this and God told me that." What you think, it don't matter what I think. If God told you, I had a man one time, we was at the restaurant over here at the airport and you could look out the airplanes and and he was telling me he God had called him to a country and the organization was fighting him to go and God called him and people were holding him back and God said to go. I said, "Brother, if God told me to go to a country, I'd take my credit card right over there at that ticket set ticket and I'd buy me a ticket to that country and I'd go to that country because if God told you, everything going to work out if God told you." >> But now, you got to be careful when people won't listen. Cain won't listen to God. >> So, he gets with Abel. We We only can surmise. We only can surmise. I tell you what, we can surmise. The con the conversation went violent because as they're talking, they had a conversation. Now, you got to you got to you got to read into this. They had a conversation. But the conversation made Cain more angry. All right. I wonder, this is a thought. I wonder just a thought now. If Cain wasn't trying to get Abel to compromise because if I can pull Cain or Abel to my level, then we both look good. >> See, I would rather be cursed and you be cursed than for me to admit I'm wrong and come up to your level. People will try to pull you down. Don't let them pull you down. >> Well, I don't believe them. Well, you can believe whatever you want to believe, but as for me, in my house, we're going to serve the Lord. Well, I just don't think you ought to do this. Well, I don't care what you think. I just know I'm going to keep on I I'm just I I'm just down here with you today on the floor. I I just down here with you today. You see the Cain, if he can pull the Abel down, then he looks the same. But as long as Abel's up here getting fire, then I have to explain why they got fire on their altar. And I don't Oh, the conversation went violent. The conversation got violent. And evidently, Cain reaches and either takes a rock. We don't know what he did, brother Dove. We don't We don't know what a rock, a a stick. We don't. All we know is he killed his brother and the blood dripped into the dirt on the ground and there it was. But then God comes back and God always ask a question to see if you'll repent. You see, God says, "Adam, where are you?" He's the all- knowing God. I know exactly where you're at. But God is waiting for Adam to start repenting. >> He says, "Abel," or says, "Cain, where's your brother?" God already knew that Abel was dead. God already knew the fight had happened. But God was waiting for Cain to come out and Cain to say something like this. Oh, I let anger get the best of me. I I'm done wrong. But he didn't. Did he? Because when you when you allow anger, Lord, this is this is you got to get a hold of this today. >> You got to get a hold of this today. You got to understand you got to deal with the cane. If you don't deal with Cain, Cain's going to deal with you. Some of Some of you are living, listen, some of you today have got anger in your heart over things that happened 40 years ago. Things that you might have caused and things that you have no no nothing to do with, but you're sitting here today and you don't realize it. The reason you can't break out into blessed prosperity is that you're holding on to that anger. There's students that have a bad attitude. You know what they got a bad attitude? Something. Well, I made them do this. It had nothing to do with you making them sit wherever in the classroom. It had nothing to do that you called them down. It has nothing to do. It may have something to do with something that happened 20 years ago. It may have to do with home life because they've carried resentment and they've not let God heal the resentment and they've not let God heal the anger. And so now the anger comes out. Where's your brother? Huh? Watch this. Cynicism, being cynical to God. To God. Now I know that funny things happen in church. I know preachers have a slip of the tongue. And I know I know funny things I know funny things can happen. But do you know when church service is one big joke to you when it's when it when it's one cynical thought after the other. It's a it's this cynical thought. It's that cynical thought. It's I it's this. Oh, do you hear now? They got little buttons on the side of the pew and you can tap it. And I'm not I'm a cash man. I'll always bring cash. All right. I'm I'm I'm I'm old I'm oldfashioned. But but you can tap it. Yeah, boy. They're getting every way they can to get. You can look at it that way from a cynical view or you can look at it that it's more blessed to give than it is to receive. My God, my church is making a way. I don't carry. Some of you don't carry cash. Some of you are the new generation. You're a tapper or whatever. I don't Is that what you call it? A tapper? I know years ago there were flappers, but now we got >> We got tappers. Or you say, "Man, my church, my church is so blessed today." But it's all, "Am I my brother's keeper? Am I my brother's keeper? God, am I my brother's keeper?" He says, "Cain, your brother's blood cries to me from the ground, what have you done?" And then God begins to give the punishment. You will be a fugitive. You will be a vagabond. You will you you you you will you you will be you you will be a fugitive. You will be a vagabond. And the the the the the the blood of your brother, the earth, you'll till the ground. It shall not yield to her. The ground's already cursed, but now it's even going to be twice as cursed because you've killed your brother. Now listen to Cain. God, my punishment is greater than I can bear. For all men will seek to kill me. But once again, would you look and please don't be Listen, this is so ignorant. I don't even want to bring it up. This is so ignorant. Stupidity. So ignorant of belief. So stupidity. God said, "Yeah, you'll be a hunted man." but said, "I'm going to put a mark on you. I'm going to put a mark on you that if any man would touch you, he'll have to pay back seven times." You know what that was? It's a mercy mark. It was a mercy mark. Had nothing to do with the color of his skin. That's stupidity. Had nothing to do with that. It had everything to do with some physical mark placed upon Cain that would cause somebody to say, "Yes, he has done wrong." But if you mess with him, God's got a mark upon him. I don't know about you, but I find it a little bit comforting today that even if I've sinned, even if I've sinned and got forgiveness of it, God will place a mercy mark on us. I might have to suffer with consequences. But we serve a God not only of a second chance, but we serve a God of great >> protection. Could you worship him with me just for a moment? Come on. Could you worship with me for just a moment? Anger, anger, resentment, hurt. Cain proves out. God said you'll till the ground. God said that you'll be a fugitive in a vagabond. You'll teal the ground. Cain turns around says oh no I won't. I'll build a city. And he did. He became a builder. He didn't he he he showed God, I'm not going to till no ground. I'll be a builder. You study the fourth chapter of Genesis out. He became a builder. He built a city. Named the city after his own son. But here's something I want you to deal with today before I close. And musicians, would you come? I know we've not run aisles today. And to my knowledge, I've not had to seat you one time today, but I believe with what God has given us for this hour. If you can deal with it, God will make a better person out of you. >> You'll live a happier life if you can deal with Cain before Cain deals with you. But here's another reason. some generations later because if I don't deal with it, you see Cain not only killed Abel, brother Magna, Cain not only killed Abel, he killed every generation that was going to come out of Abel. He not only killed the man, he killed every generation that would come out of the man. And so is sin. If we don't kill sin, sin will affect future generations. We will have grandchildren dealing with Cain because we didn't deal with Cain. We will have great grandchildren that don't know why they're dealing with what they're dealing. So, it is imperative that I beseech you this morning, would you please in Jesus' name deal with the resentment and the pain in your life. you're going to have a grandbaby that'll have to deal with it or a great grandchild that'll have to I don't want it to happen that way. I want it to be that I've got great grandchildren and great great grandchildren that find themselves in the blessings of God and they trace it all the way back to a great great grandfather and a great great grandmother that stood for right and did right. That's why the devil's trying to kill you this morning, Sister Berriak. That's why the devil's trying to kill you today. Because if he can kill you, he kills everything that's going to come out of you. And we've got to have that this morning. Will you stand with me this morning, Brother Justin or Sister Kelsey, today? That's why the devil wants to kill you. That's why the devil wants to kill you. Because the devil knows if he can kill you, more than likely he's got [name redacted] and [name redacted], [name redacted]. He's got all your kids. See, sometimes we wonder, why am I being fought the way I'm being fought? It's because God and Satan both know what's in you. What's in you, several years ago, tried to help a little family out. They didn't want to buy in to holiness. didn't want to buy. Mama didn't want to buy into holiness. Daddy didn't want to buy into holiness. Had a little boy. And because mom and daddy never bought in, mom and dad knew what the church stood for. One night at a restaurant, it had been some time since this couple had left. Couple was at the restaurant. The restaurant had what's called a jukebox. I saw the dad go over, put a coin in the machine. I saw the mother whisper something in that little boy's ear. song started and it was one of these songs that glorify all kinds of sin. Little boy came to my table and started doing every kind of little dance he could do at my table. Gestures that I'm sure the kid didn't know what he was doing. He had just seen these gestures from his mom and dad. I tried to be as polite as I could and nod and but I knew it was mockery. It It was It was mockery. It was just a form of mockery. Years later, the news broke. The little boy had been arrested. The little boy is now a man. The little boy had been arrested for murder. And I thought to myself, how different that could have been had that mom and dad bought in. Had that mom and dad sold out and that mom and dad bought in, maybe that little boy wouldn't be serving a life sentence today. Do you hear me right now? in corrective in correctional centers across our nation. One of the things our counselors deal with is resentment and anger. Guess who tore it? Parents. Wish you had raised me better. Wish you had done better. So today, I'm just asking you, you got any pain in you today? You got any unresolved things in you today? If you do, boy, this is a good time because listen to me in closing. Only God is he which was and is and is to come. Well, this is things in my past. That's what repentance that's what that's what repentance is all about. Repentance is going back to the past and saying, "God, I did this. God, it was done to me. God, help me to deal with this. And only God, brother Hammond, can go back to the past because he is which was >> Oh, hallelujah. >> Only God can go back when that parent walked out on you, when that parent saw you as something unwanted. And you're dealing with it this morning. For the love of God, you're dealing with it this morning. But only God can go back to that time and help you stand and say, "I forgive you, mama. I forgive you, daddy. I forgive you for what you did." And once God has forgiven us, he steps into the right now. Guess what the right now is? When you are baptized in Jesus' name for the remission of your sins, he goes back to the back because he is who he was and who he is. And he forgives you and he washes it away. But I'm glad for this. And he fills you with the Holy Ghost. And he is to come. The new life, the abundant life, the brand new life, the glorious life, the bl best life. Deal with Cain. Bow your head with me right now. All over this room, nobody looking around right now. Nobody looking around right now. I want those of you that know how to pray to begin to lift your voice up right now. I want you to begin to pray. I would to God that on every pew today there would be somebody praying right now. I would to God there would be somebody on every pew there's anger. There's frustration. There's resentment. There's hurt. I can't get over it. I can't get over it. I'm becoming bitter. I'm becoming resentful. I'm becoming angry. I'm deciding to choose another way of believing. I'm deciding to choose another way of worshiping. Please don't. Please don't. I want you to slip out of your pew right now and I want you to walk down to this altar because we're going to work on Cain right now. Jesus. Jesus. God, would you help me right now? Jesus. God, would you help me right now? God, I was done wrong years ago. God, I was done wrong. God, I was an unwanted child. God, I was this and God, I was that. God, I had this done to me. And God, he walked out on me. And God, she walked out on me. And God, I don't understand you. God, why am I here today in the situation I'm in? I've always believed you to be a healer. I've always believed you to be a deliverer. Why, God? Why? Come on, somebody that that needs to deal with Cain. Would you be man enough or woman enough to boldly walk to this altar this morning and raise both of your hands and begin to call upon God? Hey Lord. Hey Lord. I love you right now. Come on right now. Come on right now. Come on right now. Come on right now. Move up as close as you can around the altar. Come on. Right now, I'm going to I'm going to work on Cain today. I'm going to work on Cain. Right now, I'm going back and getting me a lamb. I'm going back and getting me a garment of righteousness. I'm going back and getting me a lamb. I'm I'm going back and getting me I'm going to step out of the cursed life into the blessed life right now. Oh yes, God. I love you, Lord. Come on, let's talk to God right now. >> Jesus, help us right now. Jesus, help us right now. God, >> oh God. >> God, I don't want the cane to take over in my life. >> God, I don't want the cane to take over in my life. >> God, I want to get rid of resentment today. God, >> oh God, I I want to get rid of resentment today. Oh God, in the name of Jesus, right now, Hey God. >> Come on. Let's deal with Cain right now. >> Hallelujah. >> Oh, hallelujah. Hallelujah. Jesus, I give that hurt to you right now, >> Jesus. I hurt that person. >> God, I hurt them with my actions, >> God. I hurt them. God, I hurt them with my actions right now. >> I hurt them with my actions. Jesus, only your blood can heal. Only your blood can save. Come on, call out on the name. Call out on the name right now. Say the words, "Jesus, help me. Jesus, God, help me. Jesus, God, I'm so tormented. Jesus, God, I'm so tormented." Oh. Oh, God, help me, Jesus. Oh, God, help me, Jesus. Help me, Jesus. Help me, Jesus. Help me Jesus. Oh God. >> Oh God, the Holy Ghost is here. >> The Holy Ghost is here right now. Now that I will God, >> come on. God's here to help us today. Come on. God's here to help us today. God's here to help us right now. >> Oh, God's here to help us right now. Oh yes, God. Oh yes, God. >> Oh yes, God. >> Oh yes, God. Let's pray. >> Oh, we're going to conquer Cain. >> We're going to conquer Cain. Give me Jesus. You can all you can all I don't need anything else. You are my You are my I don't want anyone else. I don't need anything else. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. >> >> Jesus. Give me Jesus. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Oh, heat, heat. Heat. Heat. >> >> Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. >> >> All we want and all we need is Jesus. Give me Jesus. You can come all this world. You can come all this world. Jesus to me. You can always >> >> Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. You are my >> Yes, God. >> Oh, yes, God. How many's working on Kane right now? How many's working on Cain right now? How many's working on Cain right now? Oh, Kane wants us to be angry, doesn't he? Kane wants us to be resentful. I believe there's been a lot of working on Kane right now. I stopped for a moment, talked to brother Hunter. And as I was studying for this message, it just dawned on me. We deal with things in our past and only God can go to your past, which was and is and is to come. And I was praying over here and I just shared that again with brother Hunter and he said, you know, said, I've been thinking too that God's eternal. He never left that. When you were done wrong or you done done wrong, he never left that. That's why we need to lift him up. That's why we need to exalt him. That's why we need to talk to him. I'm telling you, if you'll talk to Jesus, he'll talk to you. He'll He'll speak. He'll He'll speak to you today. And um I just think we need to con conquer Cain. Conquer anger. Conquer conquer the anger. Know what anger is justified and know what what anger is not. Know what anger is a work of the flesh and know what anger is just holy indignation stirring stirring up in you. Let me say this to you dismissing you today. You know you say why why did I go through this? Why did why' this happen to me? Why am I suffering? Why am I doing this? Why am I doing why am I suffering? Why is this? You'll notice something here in the church. You'll notice it happens. It happens. I don't have to announce it. I don't have to if I announce one person has cancer in this church, but cancer survivors that are here will automatically go to them. I don't have to say, "Hey, brother, would you go to No, no, it's all because they can relate to it. They've had the doctor say, "This is cancer." And and they've had the doctor and and and when somebody's got cancer and somebody walks across and they begin to say, "Hey, I know what you're going through. Hey, I I I I I I I went through you really did you went through? Yeah, I went through I did this and I did that and and it's it's an encouragement, but you can't isolate yourself and say, "Well, I've been going to church. I've been paying tithe. I've been living right. I signed the choir handbook. Why did I get cancer?" And I'm going to tell you something. You will really struggle with that attitude. But when you can look around somebody else and say, "Man, you know, so and so had it. They, you know, they they they had this and they they had that, you know, just like um why six months after I got the Holy Ghost, did my dad die? Why after coming home from a camp meeting and hearing the story about the prophet that laid on the dead boy and the dead boy come back to life? Why is a Why didn't God honor the sincerity of a young 16-year-old convert that came and told his dad that story and laid on top his dad? Why a few days later did he die? You know, it might have been several years later I'd be a pastor and on a Saturday afternoon I'd stand in a hospital room with the Glascock family. There was Garrett Justin Bailey at that time, Sister Glasco. There was Gary. Gary drew his last breath. They said, "Gary's gone." And a little sweet little blondheaded girl at the time, Bailey, just a child, looks up at me, Sister Penton, and she says, "Would you pick me up so I can kiss my daddy?" And I'm going to tell you, my knees buckled, and I grabbed that little girl and I leaned her over that bed and I watched her kiss her dad that just died. I was told later that Garrett said he found comfort in the fact that my dad had died and I had made it. I had made it through that. I had made it through that. You see today, don't be angry with God. Don't be resentful with God. Don't blame him. Bless him today. And if you'll bless him, you'll conquer the cane that's in you. And you'll begin to smile. you begin to worship God. Hasn't God been good to us today? I said, "Hasn't God been good to us?" Here's what I want us to do. Don't let me talk to And would you tell them that you're just glad to see him? You love him with the love of the Lord. Enjoy the rest of your day. See you tonight.