If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it.”If you do well, won’t it be lifted up? If you don’t do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it.”If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door; and unto thee shall be its desire; but do thou rule over it.
4 sermons cite this verse
… Been there though, you know what I mean? So in Genesis 4, verses 6 through 7, Jesus responds to Cain's countenance falling. Because he can tell that he did not receive correction properly. and he teaches him and by proxy us a valuable lesson about the human experience and God's response. A part of the human experience is that we struggle with correction. We see correction as rejection and the Lord makes it a point to say to Cain, why are you angry and why has your countenance fallen? I need to understand what just happened. I need you to examine what just took place in you. When you are corrected, why is it an indictment on your character? Why do you see it as devaluing your identity? I need you to take the time to interrogate what just happened inside of you, that you didn't receive that well. He says, here's the thing, if you do well, will you not be accepted? That word accepted in the Hebrew doesn't mean accepted, it means elevated that means that the lord corrected cain's offering because his ultimate goal was to elevate him and he cares too much to let you settle for an offering that will not bring you to ever elevation and so he corrected what he brought because the ultimate goal was to get him to a place of elevation. Oh, that's really good. Do you understand? That's really, I see you up there with the jean jacket. I feel like you understand what I'm saying. What I'm saying is …
… favor. So Cain was very angry and his face was downcast. And the Lord said to Cain, why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you did what was right, would you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door. It desires like an insurance agent. It's crouching at your door. It desires to have you, but you must rule over it. Now Cain said to his brother Abel, hey man, let's go out to the field. And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. And the Lord said to Cain, where is your brother Abel? I don't know. He replied, am I my brother's keeper? And the Lord said, what have you done? Listen, your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you, and you will be a restless wanderer on the earth. …
… and I think it's important I'm going to go to Genesis chapter 4 and allow me to read verses 3 through 9 Genesis chapter 4 verses 3 through 9 and here's what it says and in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat and the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but he did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry and his countenance fell. So the Lord said to Cain, why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door and its desire is for you, but you should rule over it. now 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 killed him then the Lord said to Cain where is Abel your brother and he said I do not know am I my brother's keeper I want to talk about I want to give you two points this is a two point message just two points so I won't be long I gave you time to say take my time again but y'all I want to talk about two things. …
… KEEPER OF FLOCKS, BUT CAIN WAS A FARMER. HE WAS A TILLER OF THE GROUND. AND THERE IN GENESIS CHAPTER FOUR, VERSES ONE THROUGH EIGHT, YOU HAVE THE STORY OF TWO BROTHERS. TWO BROTHERS WENT OUT TO MAKE TWO OFFERINGS. ONE BROTHER OFFERED TO THE LORD THE FIRSTLINGS OF THE FLOCK. A PERFECT LAMB WAS KILLED, AND THE BLOOD OF THAT LAMB WAS OFFERED TO THE LORD AS AN ATONEMENT FOR SIN. THE OTHER BROTHER, CAIN, YOU WILL REMEMBER THE STORY, OFFERED TO GOD THE FRUIT OF HIS HANDS, OF HIS WORK, THE SWEAT OF HIS FACE. THIS IS WHAT HE OFFERED TO THE LORD. AND WHAT YOU HAVE HERE ARE TWO BROTHERS, TWO OFFERINGS, TWO RELIGIONS, AND TWO DESTINIES. NOW ABEL, AS YOU WILL REMEMBER, OFFERED THE VERY BEST, THE FIRST LING OF THE FLOCK TO THE LORD. WHY? BECAUSE THERE IN THE DAWN OF CIVILIZATION GOD WAS TEACHING THE LESSON THAT WE SEE AFFIRMED IN HEBREWS CHAPTER NINE VERSE 22, WHICH IS WHAT? WITHOUT SHEDDING OF BLOOD IS NO REMISSION. ISN'T THAT RIGHT? …