Humanity Needs More Than Itself

You may be seated. Thank you musicians. I was just thinking this morning.

I'm so thankful For this body of believers. I love this church My family loves this church The leaders of this church love the congregation. I know how much love takes place between One another during the week and it is just a joy to be among God's people.

In fact, the early church had a reputation For loving one another and the world thought it was weird Because of the kind of love and care that they had for one another and it's appropriate It's fitting on the body of Christ that we would be known in that way Let me pray for us and then we'll give our attention to the scriptures Holy Spirit. We pray that you would come and Build your church as you have for centuries Or we're doing the same thing that the Apostles did Certainly it looks different. We're on a different side of the world All different kinds of technology and many things that have changed and yet we devote ourselves To the ministry of the word To singing the word to prayer to giving to fellowship by those simple means You do wonderful things.

That's how you accomplish your work among your people. So we pray that you would do that now for Jesus sake Then Invite you to take your Bibles this morning and open them to Genesis chapter 4. We are in Genesis again today We're gonna finish chapter 4 Lord willing and I entitled this morning's message humanity needs more than itself Okay, humanity needs more than itself And as we get into verse 17 and start to work our way down through the rest of the chapter We're kind of gonna expand our focus so we've really been looking at the first family and In chapter 4 the emphasis has been on Cain the person Now today we begin to expand beyond Cain as an individual to really look at what came after Cain and as people begin to multiply on the face of the earth rapidly as you can imagine Things do not get better. Actually, they go the other direction they go from bad to worse And what we're gonna see this morning is that the proliferation of humanity no matter how gifted No matter how committed even to the betterment of the human race Will not find improvement apart from God's saving intervention and it's interesting because in our culture today in the United States, we're watching the increasing Secularization of the culture that is to say it is well documented even in and in particular in the younger generation That they're really in the history of our country There have not been the percentages of people who would say I do not identify with any type of religion whatsoever We call them the nuns and oh and II and they're on the rise And as you're hearing Sentiments expressed regarding religious views sometimes you'll hear a thought that is is somewhat well documented and repeated and it goes kind of along these lines that that religion in general and perhaps Christianity in particular Doesn't help society rather It harms Society back to was the late Christopher Hitchens author and journalist who expressed a view that that I would Say is extreme and yet it's certainly not unheard of and he said this quote organized religion is the main source of hatred in the world Organized religion is the main source of hatred in the world He goes on to say violent irrational intolerant Allied to racism tribalism and bigotry invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry contemptuous of women and coercive toward children that's a world view their statement that the the greatest blight on the face of humanity is religion itself And there's lots of Of identification of man's problem and man's need and corresponding solutions And I would say that the best humanism can offer is always inadequate unrealistic Sometimes downright silly There's a think-tank in New York City that is well funded by endowments I've got a number of PhDs on that board and they are writing about the various problems facing New York City and so they spend all of their time putting their heads together as PhDs to come up with solutions to solve the problems that the city faces They're inadequate.

They're unrealistic and frankly silly. Here's some of their amazing ideas Let's make crime less appealing Okay scientific supports for law enforcement Tackling the causes and consequences of poverty. I think you're gonna be able to do that Fix long-standing problems Shorten the reach of the criminal justice system Help those with substance abuse disorders Education, housing Policy and law like raising taxes on guns and alcohol You go through this list and their solutions although well-intentioned and not all of them are bad ideas.

They are inadequate They're unrealistic frankly and a few of them are a bit silly Well, it's not on the list, of course would be many common-sense ideas like teaching people to take moral responsibility for their own actions Maybe from a policy standpoint things like restitution or the death penalty Promoting abstinence and marriage and encouraging the nuclear family to do its job But even all of that at its best would still be nothing more than common grace That is to say the good principles from Scripture, but it's still not going to solve humanity's deepest problems and for all of that research It's fascinating is that no one in the room said, you know what we've been trying this for generations And it just hasn't been working see what I would have loved to have read on that list would be as We've done our research. What we discovered is that Ultimately, we can't really fix our problems and we can't help ourselves and what we really need is a hero We need someone else who can come and help us we need a Savior We need an answer that is divine because human solutions to human identified problems are always inadequate Psalmist said in Psalm 118. It is better to take refuge in the Lord Than to trust in man.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man and this morning's message Is going to display for us Really humanism's approach to solving its problems and how futile that is and then the reality of turning to God in Desperation really seeing our need and seeing God as the only solution for our problems mankind Frankly is hopeless apart from divine intervention So I'm gonna read our text. They'll be gonna walk through it together this morning Genesis chapter 4 beginning in verse 17 Cain knew his wife and she conceived and born Enoch When he built a city he called the name of the city after the name of his son Enoch Enoch was born Irad and Irad fathered Mahujel and Mahujel fathered Methuselah Methuselah, excuse me and Methuselah fathered Lamech and Lamech took two wives The name of the one was Adah the name of the other Zillah Adah bore Jabal for he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock His brother's name was Jubal and he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe Zillah also bore Tubal Cain He was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron the sister of Tubal Cain was Nema Lamech said to his wives Ada and Zillah hear my voice you wives of Lamech. Listen to what I say I've killed a man for wounding me a young man for striking me if Cain's revenge is sevenfold then Lamech's is 77 fold And Adam knew his wife again and she bore a son and called his name Seth for she said God has appointed for me Another offspring instead of Abel for Cain killed him To Seth also a son was born and he called his name Enoch and That time at that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord This morning's outline is very simple man's need for God Demonstrated man's need for God Demonstrated and we're really gonna see two points this morning We're gonna see Cain's family Forsaking God and then we're going to see Adam and Eve through Seth's line turning to God And so we see things go from bad to worse here in our first point, which is man forsakes his maker man forsakes his maker this is verses 17 through 24 and what this begins to display for us is the futility the futility of humanity Apart from God now certainly man can't ultimately live apart from God God is the sustainer of all things all things are upheld by Christ every molecule Your ability to breathe is upheld by God, but we're talking about man living as if God did not exist That's what we mean when we say man living apart from God.

This is life without God What we're going to see here is that in God's common grace He allows many wonderful things and yet they are impotent for solving man's greatest need And so starting here in verse 17 we begin to see the multifaceted grace of God in Humanity's design if you remember God had told humanity you are to to rule over all creation You're to exercise dominion on the earth and then God because he's good gifts man to do that very thing And so right here We see in God's common grace That he allows Cain to reproduce for 17 Cain knew his wife and she conceived and bore Enoch now We don't know anything about details concerning Cain's wife We know that it had to be either one of his younger sisters or perhaps a niece That's it. That would have been the only option so Cain finds a wife Would seem most likely we could reasonably assume that she would have shared Cain's values unless the marriages were coercive and arranged if you were able to enter into that commitment voluntarily So it would have been a woman that would have found Cain and his wicked ways Desirable Godly woman would not have been attracted to Cain and so God grants this couple that is Likely devoted kind of in cahoots to wickedness a Baby, it's God's grace. He allows unbelievers to reproduce.

He allows them to have children and so Cain and his wife bear a son named Enoch this means dedicated means consecrated and We read that when he that's Cain verse 17 built the city He called the name of the city after the name of his son Enoch now naming a city after Someone is is super difficult. We're not surprised by that. Have you ever heard of Redmond, Oregon? How did it get its name? Well Frank T Redmond settled in the area in 1905 and the place got called Redmond About Kaiser, Oregon goes back a little bit further named after a pioneer named Thomas Dove Kaiser and his family They arrived on wagon train in 1843 Adams, Oregon same Astoria, Oregon same Jervis, Oregon same Eugene, Oregon I mean you get on the list and Many of the places in our day and age the cities are named by kind of the first pioneer the first settler who came and and built the first house or staked out that plot of land And so here Cain goes and he begins to set up an outpost and he names it after his son we think okay Well, what's the big deal with that? Well, there's a couple of issues here There's great significance First of all, what was Cain's curse by God? To remember verse 12 you shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.

So this is direct rebellion This is Cain again Continuing God said that I'm going to be a wanderer on earth guess what I'm gonna do I'm gonna go and I'm gonna create a city. I'm gonna go protect myself I'm gonna go try to find a place to stake my claim and put my name on it So this is Cain who's still gonna have in his heart, of course unrest. He's gonna have a guilty conscience He's gonna be afraid the wicked flee when no one is pursuing the scriptures keep so Cain's always gonna have that sense in his heart at least of instability and not feeling settled, but He's trying his best in rejection to God's curse here to to undo the effects of that by establishing a city And interestingly enough he doesn't name it the Lord's City or dedicated to Yahweh or by God's grace Says I'm putting the name of my kid on this city.

It's dedicated Enoch this is a testament to me to my prowess. I want my family name Remembered and so Cain here in an act of rebellion Builds a city he names it after his son. It's dedicated not to the Lord, but to himself and God and his grace allows Enoch to multiply and we don't have of course all of the children that are born here, but you can expect that there's becoming Large numbers of people Starting to reproduce on the earth And so we read that Enoch was born Irad and Irad fathered Mahujael and Mahujael fathered Methuselah and Methuselah fathered Lamech probably these are the firstborn in each Family, so it's not the totality if you remember we read of only three of Adams named sons and yet the text says that he had many sons and Many daughters, so this is not the entirety of the family tree, of course and Lamech then brings us to the seventh Generation.

All right, Adam was the first Cain was the second And Enoch and Irad and Mahujael Then Methuselah and now Lamech the seventh generation and so Lamech Comes on the scene and the text says in verse 19 that he took two wives He took two wives This is a problem That's not like merely going back for a second helping of dessert when you know, you've kind of had enough this is significant I mean this is defying the created order Genesis 2 24 one man and one woman come together in a one-flesh union. That is marriage. It's defined by God It's the only sanctioned place for sexual union to take place and so here now this is in contempt of God This is in contempt of the created order contempt of marriage Lamech takes two Wives and so this is really a perversion.

It's a perversion of God's design and this is what humanity always does when left to himself Humanity takes God's good gift and then does what corrupts it perverts it Twists it for our own agenda Uses it to further our own desires and so we don't know the exact motive here Generally speaking polygamy is motivated by some kind of lust of the eyes and lust of the flesh Rather than being dedicated to one woman. I would like to have an additional woman Not only that but but having more children would result in kind of increasing the estate So there's probably or potentially an element there as well But this is a man who? Who is rebelling? He's he's independent. He's unrestrained.

He's self-willed. He's stepping out of bounds He's a Violator and we read that he had two wives the name of the first one is Ada and the name of the other Zilla Okay, and these women both have names that indicate very little but a clue about them Ada is the adorned and Zilla would either mean shady or the tinkling and and Probably both of these then refer to some sense of beauty It's posited that possibly Zilla's idea of shadiness would be her hair a reference to her hair Out of the adorned the one with adorned with outer beauty, but both of these then seem to be focused on the externals It's what those people clearly esteemed Interestingly enough one of their daughters will read at the universe 22 The sister of two Balkan was name. Ah, her name means lovely.

And so the women here are named names that would indicate Really an earthiness to the way of thinking These are humanists They're primarily focused on the outward appearance. That's how they tend to think it's a sensual family and earthly family and Yet God continues in his kindness to allow them to procreate and so verse 20. They're having kids Out of or J ball he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock He has a brother's name Jubal.

He's the father of all those who played the lyre in the harp Zilla the other wife also bore two ball cane He was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron and so what we begin to see here now in this evil unregenerate family God's common grace is abounding gifted children gifted children When it was politically correct when I was in middle school, I'm sorry Before political correctness when I was in middle school, they had talented and gifted children and they would be labeled tag I don't think you can do that anymore But actually identify this particular one is talented and gifted and we're gonna call it out These are tag children J-ball, he's a he's intense and has livestock. He was really a rancher. This was a man who was cultivating beasts of burden to Abel was Shepherd if you remember it means he tended sheep, but this idea here has the idea of Territory and supply really a cattle trader.

There's commerce here. There's trade. I mean this guy's taking it to the next level Jew ball is musical he produces a family of musicians.

So they were writing and making music These are the the artists, okay God, of course is the ultimate author of music but man discovers it and enjoys it And so now they're they're innovating they're writing songs. They're developing instruments I mean someone had to come up with the first liar the first pipe About how to make the notes and then how to put them in sequence and what a scale was and and here they are for The very first time there. They're proliferating music on earth And to ball Kane is a metal worker.

He would hammer out instruments for work He was a craftsman Harvesting the metals and then fashioning them to create various implements That could be utilized for work and so this is kind of if you will maybe the the first tech sector, okay they're developing technology and instruments to use And so all of this God's common grace is incredible diversity Okay, incredible usefulness And yet All of this is being done without respect To God it's being done without respect to God one of the rights. There's nothing inherently wrong with any of these occupations All of them may be carried out admirably and with integrity However, there is a problem here That is worldly things are the only things that carnal wicked people set their hearts upon They're the things that carnal people are most ingenious and most industrious about And so it was with the impious race of cursed Kane here was a father of shepherds and a father of musicians, but not a father of the faithful He was here was one to teach in brass and iron, but none to teach the good knowledge of the Lord Here were devices how to be rich and how to be mighty and how to be merry, but nothing of God And so this family devoted themselves to their pursuits and they were skilled in them They were diligent in them And yet as the Old Testament testifies It's possible to be diligent and very successful in your work and do what worship the work of your hands Let it attest to your own greatness Let it bring you self satisfaction done for your own namesake for your own prominence And so we begin to see here is that All of the diversity and the wonder that humanity can provide is still ultimately futile in Addressing man's deepest need I mean think about it and J-ball the dweller intends and have livestock. I mean, it's amazing You talk to some people and they're like, you know what if we just had more Boy Scouts Like if everybody did 4-h things would just be so much better Really? When you got it right here Yeah, Jubal with the harp and the lyre, you know, the problem is kids are not exposed enough to the arts We need more music.

We need more art. We just kind of open their heart open their minds Or maybe they they need to learn skills I mean with the forgers here with with two-ball cane you had trades and technology And so really the issue is not education or skill or exposure to opportunity and God's come and grace here There's industry and creativity and production and commerce His family's improving things on earth they're in fact ruling over the creation They're subduing it and there's innovation and there's beauty And it all of that common grace is going to be limited in its effectiveness for this reason Because for all of that gifting all of that giftedness Artists can be perverts All right, and the innovators can be narcissists See great gifting and common grace cannot address the spiritual problem that faces Humanity and good story that illustrates. This would be the invention of the airplane Orville and Wilbur Wright the Wright brothers set out to create a flying machine Of course, they were successful and in the first decade of the 1900s.

They were showing off their flying machine Yeah, just a few years later Planes were being used to shoot people in World War one Couple decades later they advanced to bombs that that caused hundreds of thousands of casualties and Orville Wright actually lived to see World War two and Witness airplanes being used for such things and you know what? He said he lamented this quote We dared to hope we had invented something that would bring lasting peace to the earth But we were wrong part of that aspiration. I mean they're imagining they're gonna invent this thing think of all the wonderful things that man could use an airplane for and we could transport sick people to get care and we could bring supplies to people who are hungry and think of all the Wonderful humanitarian outcomes and and the way it could open commerce and trade in human flourishing And even usher in peace on earth and what happens well technology does not address humanity's need And so even the best variety in God's common grace Could never address spiritual problems. Not only that but but there's incredible violence that takes place on the earth We see this in these next verses that that the corruption that's in the heart begins to leak out and it damages People it plagues natural man.

It limits our ability to reform And so God starts to show us just a little taste of what Keane's family is like. I Think of it this way Lamech is the poster boy Lamech was put by God in the scripture for us to understand family dynamics in Keane's family and dynamics in this city of Enoch Verse 23, what is Lamech like? I Think it's five greats. What's the great great great great great grandson of Adam like here it is Lamech said to his wives Okay first problem It's supposed to be a singular Says Ada and Zilla.

I know I keep pronouncing that differently every time Ada and Zilla Hear my voice you wives of Lamech. Listen to what I say I'm not much you but I won't even talk to one woman that way let alone two This is domineering and arrogant Even in this day when I hear someone refer to themselves in the third person Generally, generally not a good sign of a humble heart Lamech here is addressing his wives in the third person. Hey, you listen to what I have to say to you Listen to what Lamech has to say to you And what does he boast I've killed a man for wounding me and a young man for striking me so here's a husband Insisting that his wives recognize that he is a cold-blooded killer It's shocking.

One of them was a man The young man is is the word for a youth We don't know if it was a boy a young man, but certainly a youth perhaps again family relations here a nephew a little little brother a grandson Whatever it was this is a violent man. Who's who's showing a display of abusive violence. That's unwarranted This is not self-defense It's a brawler who exerts dominance of others.

I Was kind of undersized in middle school and so I'd get picked on I remember those guys were like, you know If you accidentally bumped into them in the hall like you were gonna get crushed into a locker you know, they always always had a kind of show of force like Quadruple whatever it was that was done to them. That's what lameck is saying here Look a guy wounded me. I killed him There was a little guy who struck me.

I killed him Sounds very much like ray of boom ray of boom ask you remember Solomon's son whose friends encouraged him Hey, you know what? You go tell the people my little finger is thicker than my father's thighs He came at you with whips I'm gonna bring scorpions See this is humanity boasting of power and prominence and violence And evil men are boasters and they're shameless Peter would say in 2nd Peter 2 13 that they count a pleasure to revel in the daytime means that they love to do and Parade things that ought to be hidden things that are shameful. They flaunt it. They publicize it They're swollen with conceit Paul would say in 2nd Timothy 3 1 through 5 Over and over in the scripture the mouth is associated with great claims of boasting of human pride and hubris Jude refers to loud mouth boasters in Jude 16 Asaph and Psalm 73 talks about those who set their mouths against the heavens and their tongues strut throughout the earth How's that for poetic imagery? In a back it gets to really the heart of the issue in a back at 111 when he says their own Might is their God Their own might is their God so Lamech worshipped himself They make worship myself he had a high view of himself And it degenerated into boasting even boasting of violence.

I remember this so distinctly my first introduction to this was When I was working in a job in high school and in the department I was at most everyone was you know, five or six years older than me, which isn't a lot But when you're 16, it's kind of a lot And the men in that place were boasters of evil They paraded their exploits. It was a badge of honor not hiding but flaunting And Paul would describe this as those who glory in their shame Philippians 3. That's what Lamech is doing He ought to be ashamed of this, but he's glorying in it Now look at what he says in verse 24, this is how brazen it is if Cain's revenge is sevenfold then Lamech's is 77 fold And that is not a mere coincidence Rather Lamech heard Cain Grandpa Cain He was protected by God and God promised to avenge Cain He had to be protected by God and God said he'll avenge him seven times Guess what? I don't need God I'll avenge myself not seven times but 77 times This is a man who thinks he's a self-made man I he's thinking he can do better at protecting and avenging himself than God would do at protecting Cain And so here you have humanity making empty boasts boasting and evil Competing in violence self-exaltation in vain glory Francis Schaefer says here is a humanistic culture without God It is egotism and pride centered in man This culture has lost the concept not only of God but of man as the one who loves his brother And what God wants us to understand and take away from this text is this is the Lord letting go. This is humanity on its own Apart from divine intervention and restraining grace humanity cannot rescue repair or redeem itself This is why as Christians we understand that no matter how much is invested in programs to educate and to feed and to create opportunities to fix homelessness and reduce crime And to address substance abuse and to promote fathers to stay faithful in the home and to expose children to the arts and sciences no matter how much technology or Innovation or economic development we can never fix spiritual problems With human efforts Benefits are always temporary and limited so often we look to human solutions.

We get very excited We get over concerned about who's going to be in the Supreme Court or who's going to be in the White House or who's going to? serve as governor You understand that that that as much as in God's common grace we might enjoy temporary blessings and benefits They cannot address what's wrong within and so we're gonna see here that as a People group whatever size whether it's a nation or a state or a city or a family As a nation or a people or a family rejects their maker the strength of that society always weakens I want you to think about this These people these are a hopeless People that's the language that Paul used in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 12 when he described the state of Gentiles Prior to the gospel coming. What did he say? He said that they are having no hope and without God in the world There's in that humanity apart from God is a hopeless place to be And what I want you to understand what I'm saying here carefully if you're involved in social work If you're a teacher if you're seeking to help people in God's common grace continue to do that that is human compassion That is pleasing to the Lord. It is a good thing to be about But it's also right to understand the limitations the eternal limitations of that work We live amongst the people much like here in Cain's day who have no hope and are without God in the world man forsaking his maker Demonstrates man's need for God it brings us to our second point this morning man finds his maker Man finds his maker here.

Now we turn the corner We get a little bright spot thankfully to end chapter 4 It's gonna take a dark turn again very soon. So so don't get used to this, but there is a little bright spot here This is really what life looks like with God verse 25 Adam knew his wife again and she bore a son next week We're gonna look at the generations and Adam's line in more detail But here we meet Seth. I Want to draw attention to his namesake She bore a son verse 25 and called his name Seth for she said God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel for Cain killed him Seth likely means granted And so here you have Eve just like a little breath of fresh air giving birth to a child and who is on her mind It's the Lord She's recognizing.

The only reason why I was able to bring a child into the world was God's grace to me Look at that language. God has appointed for me this is not a testament to her own greatness and There's a hopefulness here a note of hopefulness that God is rebuilding in restoring Abel was the son who who loved God? He brought his offering in faith and now the Lord is gonna replace Abel. I trust him with a son Who's gonna be godly a son who's gonna walk by faith? Verse 26 to Seth also a son was born and he called his name Enosh Enosh It's an interesting word.

It's used often to speak of man in the Old Testament Etymology is is a difficult way to to be certain about the meaning of a word The etymology of this word kind of the original usage the history of it Would have the idea of being weak or sick It's possible. That's what Enosh means We can't be conclusive but what is clear in the biblical usage is that Enosh is always used get this to represent man as Mortal Emphasizes man's mortality. I want to read some verses that you're familiar with That use this word Enosh Job 717.

What is Enosh? what is man that you make so much of him and That you set your heart on him Job 15 14. What is man? What is Enosh that he can be pure or he was born of a woman that he can be righteous Psalm 8 for what is man? What is Enosh that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you care for him? Psalm 144 verse 3. Oh Lord. What is man? What is Enosh that you regard him or the son of man that you think of him? What is? mortal man See for Seth Naming his son Enosh is an indicator of mortality Perhaps even thinking of human weakness You'd say this Seth has a big view of God and a right view of man a low view of man See Seth understands man is not to be praised man is not to be trusted in man is not to be exalted Man is not the source of Life These are true worshipers are always humbled by God's greatness and his love and care for them Look, if you're in Christ, this is your heart.

You just worship God because you see him is great You see God is great You see that his love is great and his care for you is great and you see yourself as undeserving and utterly dependent And so those who identify with Enosh those who affirm it recognize that man is mortal He's like grass that withers and fades away. He's like a mist and a vapor that appears and then vanishes God is immortal man is mortal. And so Job and David those are the verses that we read are astounded.

What is Man, what is Enosh? What is what is a mortal man that the Almighty God would be willing to enter into our affairs and She'll care for us Should be those who glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh I hope that the truth that you're insignificant thrills your heart. I Mean is that not so ironic when I'm reminded That I am nothing. I am so encouraged When I'm reminded how insignificant I am my art just fills with praise to God It's so helpful It puts me back in my lane I don't know about you, but my soul desperately needs to be brought low and Reflecting upon the glory of God is the only thing strong enough to get me unimpressed with myself So man will always be impressed with man or he will be impressed with God.

It's like a seesaw You will either be impressed with God or you will be impressed with man You cannot maintain a high view of man and a high view of God And so here's this tremendous contrast between Seth I'm gonna name my son Enosh and Lamech I am the source Gets worth noting here just for a moment in terms of our nomenclature that that we talked about a low view of man here I'll use that expression sometimes. I don't want it to be misconstrued And we talk about the Christian view that is a low view of man. What we mean to say is that man is a creature Man is dependent Man is morally corrupt in a need of a dent redemption man is not the source It's God's universe He is the moral authority.

That's what we mean to talk about when we say a low view of man, but the Christian understanding of humanity The biblical view of humanity is it's really the worldview that that treasures humanity in the way that we ought Soon it comes to things like the sanctity of human life human dignity Human value man being created in an image of God It's it's believers who have the right or the high view of man Lamech had a high view of self So that since he had a high view of man, but he had a low view of others He's taking multiple wives He's killing people for offending him So in one sense he had a high view of self, but really it was a low view of man So when we talk about a low view of man, we're talking about a right view of self but also elevating human dignity and worth and so what we see here is a Time on the earth when things were very dark McCain's line is proliferating on the earth. I Cannot even imagine how miserable it would have been to be in that city. That would not have been a pleasant place to live You have a lameck given as an example of the kinds of things that humanity was engaging in and that drove a certain sense of hopelessness certain sense of longing a certain desperation in the heart of humanity And it comes out of the universe Verse 26 at that time People began to call upon the name of the Lord.

They began to seek God They began to turn to God. They did calling on the name of the Lord It wasn't just they said his name, but it's it's all that he represents all that Yahweh Represented his name would be his reputation his character his perfections who he has revealed himself to be And So this is what the Bible teaches very plainly the promise that started back in Joel chapter 2 verse 32 That everyone who calls on the name of the Lord what shall be saved? And so in the midst of that darkness you have a line Alongside the ungodly that says we need the Lord and they begin to turn to the Lord See to call upon the name of the Lord is to recognize that there is salvation in another Isaiah 45 22 turn to me and be Saved all the ends of the earth for I am the Lord and there is no other Isaiah 43 11. I am the Lord and besides me.

There is no Savior the apostolic testimony Acts 4 12 there is salvation in none else for there is no other name under heaven given among men By which we must be saved there was no human solution here for these families There's never a human solution for our moral problems And it is isn't it amazing here that that these families are coming from the same ultimate Genesis here in Adam and Eve's family We're seeing one son could be reprobate and the other could be elect that one is Disregarding the Lord and the other is seeking the Lord All this is by God's design that mankind might call upon the name of the Lord I want to finish this morning by looking briefly at Acts chapter 17 turns me to Acts 17 We have a wonderful little summary here Paul's evangelizing In the midst of the Areopagus in verse 22, and here's what he says men of Athens I Perceive that in every way you are very religious For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship. I found also an altar with this inscription to the unknown God What therefore you worship is unknown this I proclaim to you and we talked about how Cain was a religious man He was a religious hypocrite. We don't know how much of his family was practicing religion or idolatry at this time But it's it's common very likely.

They were still worshippers Verse 24 the God who made the world and everything in it Being Lord of heaven and earth does not live in temples made by man nor is he served by human hands as though he needed anything Since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything This is an exalted view of God the Creator and the Sustainer and the source of all things Verse 26 he made from one man Every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth Having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place Where Cain's line would be where Seth would be where Lamech would be? Verse 27 that they should seek God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him It is actually not far from each one of us for in him. We live and move and have our being as Even some of your own boats have said for we indeed We are indeed his offspring Being then God's offspring We ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone an image formed by the art and imagination of man The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent Because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he is appointed And of this he is given assurance to all By raising him from the dead This very reality is on Paul's heart there at the Areopagus You guys in your philosophy are so Exalted in your thought that you're the source of all things you're wise in your own understanding I want you to understand that God is appointed a man to judge the world namely Jesus Christ What humanity needs? It's divine intervention humanity needs a savior. And so right here in Genesis 4 God is already Setting that stage for us.

This is the lesson as we see those two lines go forth And things are gonna continue to get worse actually so Genesis 5 and 6 humanity continues on this path on its own Struggling in resistance to God, let's pray Lord. I thank you for the clarity that your word provides in helping us to discern What's going on in our own lives and then also make sense of the world around us words, we're so easily captivated by Really getting caught up in Common grace solutions for saving grace problems. That's what I pray that you would help us to Not just affirm generally the need for divine intervention, but that we would call upon you each day calling upon the name of the Lord Recognizing our dependence upon you And Lord that we would see that that is also humanity's need around us Thank you Lord that you are willing to be found by those who call upon you.

Thank you that you are Willing to listen to those who seek you Thank you God that you're one who restores and forgives And that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. We praise you and we love you Amen