Title: Don't Be Like Cain
(Lecture 31) 1 John 3:11-12 Don't be like Cain
<text>
We must love one another, for this is the news you have heard from the beginning. Do not be like Cain, because he belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? For his deeds are evil, and his brother's deeds are righteous (1 John 3:11). -12)
<sermon>
Brotherly love is possible only with a humble heart. For it is love that humbles oneself and exalts one's brother. However, the problem of lowering our hearts is not something we can implement. Because the mind is not something we can control and govern on our own. Therefore, we have no choice but to answer that it is impossible for us, who have high hearts, to practice brotherly love.
The lowliness of the believer comes from the awareness of Jesus. Because when I realize who Jesus is and what kind of existence I am in front of him, my heart will naturally be humbled. So, for those who do not know Jesus, brotherly love is impossible.
As such, brotherly love is only seen in believers with a humble heart, and since the humble heart is a characteristic of a believer who knows Jesus and dwells in Jesus, brotherly love is not a part of the virtue that believers must practice, but the children of God in Christ. And it is the evidence that you belong to God. That is why John is saying that we can know that we are children of God through brotherly love.
Verse 11 says, “Let us love one another, as you have heard from the beginning.” To say that brothers and sisters love each other from the beginning is to say that love is not an act of adding to faith. In other words, it should not be viewed as merely adding religious practices to increase faith and appear noble. Because brotherly love is the evidence of faith that abides in Christ, it is the news we have heard from the beginning.
Therefore, even if there is no brotherly love, the idea that a believer is a believer, but love is seen as a higher-level believer is greatly wrong. We must not forget that the apostle is clearly saying that those who do not love their brothers are not children of God, and that they do not belong to God because they do not practice righteousness.
What was Cain's deed? God killed Abel because he accepted Abel's sacrifice and sacrifice and did not accept his own. So, does not killing a brother mean brotherly love? Cain's story is not so simple. It is not something to teach simply, 'Cain hated Abel and killed him, so let's not hate our brother, that is brotherly love'. This is because the very words “let us not hate our brothers” are already empty. Because hatred comes from the heart, and as I said before, we cannot control our hearts. Wouldn't that be an empty statement to say to those who can't control their minds to control their minds?
It is true that Cain had hatred and envy toward Abel, but the most important thing is to first examine what caused the hatred and envy.
Verse 12 says that Cain is evil and Abel is righteous. What, then, should the wicked Cain take before righteous Abel? The answer can be easily found by changing this to the question of what kind of attitude we should take as wicked people in front of the righteous Jesus.
The attitude that we, who are evil in the sight of the righteous Jesus, will take is to realize our wickedness. It is the attitude of those who met Jesus to realize that I am truly a wicked person compared to the righteousness of Jesus. Then, what Cain must do before the righteous Abel is to discover that I am truly wicked compared to Abel. Then, if Cain realized his wickedness, how would he react to God accepting only Abel's sacrifice? You will feel that it is only natural for God to do that.
People always compare themselves to others. Because of this, even though we believe in God in the same way, some enjoy comfort, but when we are in trouble, we become angry with God. This is what Cain does.
Before Jesus, we are just evil people. Therefore, the hospitality you are receiving now is inevitably outrageous. When we have this kind of heart, hatred and envy toward our brothers will cease to exist.
God accepts only what is from Jesus and not ours. Because ours belong to the wicked. However, angering this saying, ‘Is it true that we are not receiving ours even though we are doing well with our faith?’ is like Cain. Because these thoughts are alive, you are comparing yourself to others. For such a person, brotherly love is simply impossible.
We need to see clearly where the hatred and envy come from. This is because hatred and envy can be resolved by clearly realizing and looking into one's reality before Jesus Christ.
However, once you realize it, it doesn't mean that you can completely solve it. Just because I realize that I am an evil person does not mean that my nature will be completely healed. It is our evil nature to raise our heads in front of those who are better than us. In such a case, it is important to think of my wickedness in front of Jesus and to be governed. This is an important way not to remain in hatred and envy.
It is by seeing one's own wickedness that I can humble myself and exalt my brother. That is why God is working hard to humble us. He even sets before me a brother who is better than me to humble us. The conditions of the world are not very important, but in terms of faith, he raised up a brother who was better than me and humbled us. Please don't be like Cain. This is God's word to you.