Where's Your Brother? | The Garden, The Flood & The Promise | Chad Veach

0:00 Hey, what's going on, everybody? Thank you so much for listening to this week's message from Zoe Church. We are in a series right now called The Garden, The Flood, and The Promise. We're studying the book of Genesis together, and we're going to jump in in just a moment. But I want to thank everybody that gives both tithes and offerings to and through Zoe Church. This last week, we had a massive outreach for I Love My City, helping fire victims with relief efforts. and so I want to say thank you for your generosity. If you'd like to give, go to our website and you can give there. But let's jump into this week's message called Where's Your Brother?

0:41 Go in your Bible. Go there to Genesis chapter number four. Genesis chapter number four. If you have a Bible, we are in part number three of a brand new series that we just started. Part number three of a brand new series we just started. We're studying the book of Genesis together and if you missed the first two weeks, you can go back on our YouTube or our podcast and catch up, but we're studying the first book of the Bible today. Anybody believe in the Bible today? Oh, come on. The B-I-B-L-E. Yes, that's the book for me. I stand alone on the word of God. look at all these people with trauma all these people raised in church eye twitching we're jumping into the bible genesis chapter chapter four today we're in part three genesis chapter four we have seen the creation the first uh man and woman adam and eve and now children adam made love to his wife eve and she became pregnant and gave birth to cain and she said with the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man and later she gave birth to his brother Abel she was able to have another now Abel kept flocks and Cain worked the soil in the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord and Abel also brought an offering of fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock and the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering, he did not look with 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.

2:48 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. I want to preach in installment number three, write down the title. It's called, Where's Your Brother?

3:37 Where's your brother? My son is taking Duolingo, so he's learning Espanol right now. So in Spanish, ¿Dónde está tu hermano? where is your broski where is your brother where is your hermano and i like this story adam and eve they have the first child, Cain, and they're able to have another, Abel. And it says that Cain, we go straight into birth and then tithes and offerings. And Cain brings a little something to the table and Abel brings from, the Bible wanted you to see this, didn't it? It said, Abel brought from its first fruits. But God's showing us this because remember, God is not interested in being a part of your leftovers. God wants to be the priority of your life. So it's showing us the difference between Cain's offering and Abel's offering. Cain gave what was left over. Abel gave from his best, his first fruits. Write down point number one today.

5:01 I love this thought. Man looks for the appearance of being generous. God cares about the heart behind it. Cain wanted to look like he was being generous, but he was giving his leftovers. Abel didn't care. He came and brought from his first, the best. He brought from the heart of generosity. See, I want to encourage you. Don't worry about having the appearance of generosity. God cares about the heart of generosity. let me let me say it this way put on the screen what matters to people is how generous you seem what matters to God is how genuine you are we live in a culture that wants to put off like they're good and kind and Christian and generous it don't matter what man thinks about you. It only matters what God thinks about you. You're not living for an audience of a hundred.

6:00 You're living for an audience of what? Uno in Spanish. You know, I got that one. One, an audience of one and Cain gave leftovers. Abel gave his best. It reminds me of this story in the, in the new Testament. There's this couple Ananias and Sapphira and Ananias and Sapphira had just seen this guy before in chapter four, Acts chapter four, this guy, Barnabas sold a field and gave all the proceeds to the church. So he sold a field. So you know he lived in the Inland Empire. You know what I'm saying? So he's from the IE, and he gave all the proceeds to the church. And Ananias and Sapphira saw all the praise Barnabas got. Barnabas got his own video in the church. Barnabas got mentioned on the Instagram story. Barnabas got all the clout. And Ananias and Sapphira were like, we want some of that. We want some clout. And so they sold something, but they kept proceeds back for themselves, but pretended to the church like they brought everything like Barnabas. See, most people want the appearance of generosity rather than having the heart of generosity. I want to encourage you today. Your giving is not between me and you.

7:10 It's between you and God. It doesn't matter what man thinks about you. It matters what God thinks about you. And God cares about the genuine nature of your heart. let me encourage you today god is not calling you to give what's left over i'm gonna pay at&t and verizon or whatever and i'm gonna take care and let me see a little something left over for god no i give my first and my best to god because it doesn't matter whether you think it or not it matters what god thinks i remember this church i worked at years ago years and years ago i worked at this church and there's this couple i saw this brother and sister and you know they just they just looked like me, just normal people. They walked in one day to the office. They walked in on a Tuesday to the office and they brother and sister walked in and they each brought their tithe and it equaled $5.4 million. And, and their parents had just sold their business and they had received an inheritance. And the first thing they did when they got the inheritance check is they marched down to the office and they gave their first and their best. It didn't matter whether it's a hundred dollars, does it? To God, it doesn't matter whether it's $200. It doesn't matter whether it's millions or hundreds. God is pleased with the heart, not the amount. You can't, you can't move God with dollars or decibels. Come on, clap today. You only move God with the intent of your heart. What matters to man is the appearance of seeming to be generous. What matters to God is the heart of generosity. And God looked at Cain verse Abel and it said he showed favor to Abel. He said, that's what I'm talking about. I see something different with Abel.

8:48 He got favor. Anybody you'd like to have favor on your life? Let me see your hand. You better raise it high now. Come on. Everybody want favor because favor ain't, it ain't fair when you got favor. And so, and so Cain knew it. And so God said, I favor Abel. I favor this man. And Cain's all up in his feelings and Cain's all up. Anybody you got a brother anybody you got a brother you remember fighting with your brother Julia's like our kids fight too much They're not normal. I'm like, oh, that's normal That's called broskies. Okay That's called healthy conflict. They're screaming in the room. Julia's like go in there rescue them. I'm like, no They need to work that out. Okay and so and so Cain's all upset and Cain's all mad and watch what God does watch what God says to Cain go down to verse number six then the Lord said to Cain why are you angry man why is your face downcast if you do what is right will you not be accepted but if you do not do what is right sin is crouching at your door and it desires to have you but you must rule over it Write down number two.

9:57 God will speak to you before you take action. God is talking to Cain before he goes down a path of messing up his life, altering his future, destroying his legacy. God is standing in the way to have a preemptive conversation to say, Hey, hope, whoop, whoop, Cain. Hope, pump the brakes. I love this about God. Put it on the screen. the Holy Spirit will allow you to see the results of your decisions before you make them. I'm not talking about sports betting, by the way. I am talking about dating a little bit, but I'm not talking about sports betting. But God will allow you. He's trying to show him, Cain, this is not a good path. This is not a good idea. This is not going to end well. This is not the way that you should go. In fact, I love this proverb. Put up this proverb. One of my favorite proverbs in all the Bible. A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished for it. A good man, a prudent man foresees, if I go down this path, I'm going to mess. I should stop texting. I should stop DMing. I should stop going there. I should stop hanging out because if I go down this path, a prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple man keeps going and suffers the consequence for it.

11:20 That's how simple people walk in my head. You want me to do the simple walk again? Just watch how Lucy and Goose... I'm simple. But the prudent man's like, uh-uh. Uh-uh. I ain't watching that. Uh-uh. Uh-uh. I'm hiding myself. Uh-uh. I ain't going... Y'all have fun. I'll be at the crib. You understand what I'm saying? A prudent man foresees foresight.

11:53 Didn't happen yet, but I know nothing good happens after. Oh, some of y'all too quiet. Where were you at last night? My God. That's why you ain't at the 9 a.m., huh? Hallelujah. I didn't wake up and chose violence. You woke up late and chose violence.

12:18 Prudent man, a prudent man foresees evil and hides. A simple man, let's see where it goes. I don't know. Well, I don't know. And suffers the consequences for it. And see, the problem is you got to understand you keep thinking that temptation is sin. Temptation is a feeling. Temptation is a sensation. Temptation will try to overwhelm you. But watch what the Bible says. I love this scripture, 1 Corinthians. Look at God's promise. No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man. Let me translate that for you real fast. The Bible's saying the temptations you deal with are the same temptations that all of us deal with. No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man. Can nobody be in church today and be like, dang, you got tempted with it?

13:12 I've never been tempted with that. I've never, oh, I'm just so righteous. No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man, and God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear, but when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. Come on, clap and thank God today. He'll never allow the temptation to become so much. I had to give in. How could I not? How can I resist? I'll tell you how I resist. God said it's not going to be too much, and it's not going to be too heavy, and he's going to provide a way of escape. There is a way of escape today for the temptation that you're dealing with. Come on. Thank God today. That's the power. God is faithful. And you keep thinking that temptation is the same as sin. You are not sinning because you're tempted. You're sinning when you sin. Last night, Julia came to me with the last piece of cheesecake in our fridge, and she said, you want this cheesecake? I said, get thee behind me.

14:20 Who has cheesecake on Saturday? Tomorrow night at 11, call me up. Sunday night, tonight, your boy's going in, but Saturday night? See, I want to tell you, when she presented that cheesecake, I know where that cheesecake came from. I know how much it costs. I know the little caramel drizzle on top. I know the little sauce on the side. I want everything in me. I want that cheesecake. I filled it in my bowl. but just because I feel tempted doesn't mean I participate in sin so you got to start being more proud of yourself because you feel something doesn't mean you're a bad person we're all tempted but God said I will never allow the temptation to become more than you can bear I will provide a way of escape there is a way out of the mess that you're in right now there is a way out that God will provide and God will provide a door for you to escape the thing that's trying to take out the legacy and the calling on your life. Clap and give him a praise today. A way of escape. And so he's trying to talk to him. He's trying to have a conversation with him. He's saying, hey, man, hey, don't do this, bro. Hey, this is not going to go well, Cain, hey, come on, brother.

15:39 Come on, broski. Don't do it. Cain's just, he's off, he's on mad. He's in his film, so you like Abel. So Abel's got the first fruit. so watch what he says he says to his brothers abel Hey, man, let's go out to the field. What do you say? Let's go hunting and fishing.

16:07 Yellowstone National Park. Some of y'all getting that right now. Let's go out hunting and fishing. It says, when they went out to the field, watch what happens. Look at this next scripture. Verse 8. Now Cain said to his brother, let's go out to the field. And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Write down number three today. How far will you let bitterness take you? How far are you going to let that thing take you out? Because bitterness, remember, it started with a seed of bitterness and it ended in bloodshed. What starts small always gets bigger. Sin starts small, but it always grows. Cain had this seed of bitterness, and he was bitter that his brother had favor, and he was bitter that his brother was successful, and he was bitter that his brother was doing well, and that bitterness ended up and resulted in bloodshed.

17:02 What's the small thing going on in your life that if you don't manage it or take it out, that thing's going to become bigger than you ever wanted, bigger than you ever dripped, bigger than you ever thought it? Come on, thank God today that the small stuff of my life, he can heal me, cleanse me, forgive me, restore me. Come on, clap and give them a little bit of praise. God can wash me. He can revive me. He can take care of small things in my life. I wonder what little bitter thing in your life. Bitter against your boss. Bitter against your coach. Bitter against your cousin. Bitter against an ex. Stop living in bitterness. Start walking in freedom. That's why Jesus said when you pray, you ought to pray this way. Lord, will you forgive me? Why does he say to do that? Because you start looking at your own life, you're like, oh, dang. I need like a lot of forgiveness.

17:57 So Lord, will you forgive me of my sins as I what? Forgive those that have sinned against me. Bitterness is so crazy. It starts in seed form, and then once it grows, it infects and impacts everything around you. It'll impact your marriage. It'll impact your work life. It'll impact your vitality. It'll impact your future. And God tried to warn Cain and have a conversation. Cain was too bitter to listen to God. Some of us are so bitter, we stop listening to heaven. We're so bitter and wound up in brokenness. They did this and they did that. No, no, no. I just got to encourage you today. God can forgive you of your sins as you forgive. Some of you have been betrayed. You've been rejected. You've been abused. You've been abandoned. You've been, and I'm just talking to Clipper fans right there. And you...

18:49 Every spring you deal with this, every spring. and I got to forgive those that sin against me because I'm in need of great forgiveness. Anybody grateful today that God has forgiven your sins and washed you as white as snow?

19:15 Come on. And so hold on. What you're trying to tell me is that you can receive forgiveness, but you can't give forgiveness. What you're trying to tell me is that God's big enough to take care of you, but he's not big enough to also take care of them. No, no, no. Listen, how far will you let bitterness run your life? You ever see a bitter person? It shows up on their face. Some people, I call it bitter church face. You see them at church and you're like, hey, how are you doing, brother? And they're like, all right. So good to see you today. right that bit it started as seed it started as seed everything big in your life good or bad started small every company every movement every church every organization everything starts small sin starts small and then it just grows and grows when Cain was born and his mom and dad were taking care of them, they never thought murderer ever. But bitterness would take you to places you never dreamt, you never imagined, you never envisioned, because it's not the spirit of God that's controlling you. It's a different seed that's controlling you. And I don't know about you, but I want to live under the canopy and the under the umbrella of the leadership of the Holy Spirit that gives life, that gives freedom and healing. Come on, clap and praise them today.

20:48 some of us we gotta let it go i feel the spirit of frozen in this house let it go let it go it's not worth it it's hold it's not holding them down they're having fun they're the ables in your life they got favor they're flourishing it's you that's getting hurt it's you that's getting stuck it's you that's getting backwards no i'm getting free today by the power of God's word so I can walk in healing and redemption. Oh, come on. I feel like praising him today. I would be bitter without the cross. And if God didn't show me all that he's forgiven me from, how could I ever forgive them of what they've done? But the more I get my eyes on Jesus, the more I get my eyes on the cross, the more I get my eyes on who God is, the more I'm like, God, thank you that you forget. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's good. We're good. We're good. We're good. No, no, we're good. We're good. It's by the way, it's not that I can't remember. It's that I choose to forget. You know what that's called? Spiritual amnesia. I could remember everything you've done, but thank God that God forgets everything I've done. He says, as far as the East is from the West, I've removed your transgressions. No longer do I remember your sins. Come on, clap and thank God for the power of forgiveness. You need to forgive. You need to forget. You need to move on.

22:11 Cain got stuck. You got like a U2 song. You got stuck in a moment. And that moment turned into something you never would have imagined. And so Cain kills his brother Abel and comes back and watch what God says. God asks Cain, where's your brother? isn't it interesting with his dad he says where are you to the son he says where's your brother god didn't come storming in saying what have you done he comes in baiting the conversation where's your bro at where's your brother where's your brother where where where are you at in fact write down the next point today i love this thought this thought even in our mess god gives us a moment to come clean. He's given a moment to come clean. Son, what happened? Where's your brother? Where's your brother? God is not asking because he doesn't know what happened. God's asking because he's given Cain a moment to come clean. Is there anything you want to tell me?

23:12 Is there anything you want to say, son? Is there anything? This is what I love about the era of school versus the era I grew up in. When I was growing up, my teacher had no ability to communicate with my parents. Thank God. In this generation, the teachers text us. I have a personal relationship with the teacher. They text us. So now I know what my boys did at school before I picked them up. When I pull up in the swagger wagon and I open the sliding glass door and I let them get in and I'm driving with 10 and two. Hi, boys. Is there anything you'd like to tell me about? No, dad. We're good. We are the furthest thing from good. God's given Cain a moment to come clean. Is there anything you want to talk about? Is there anything you want to tell me? Is there anything that's just happened? God's not asking because he doesn't know. He's asking because he's initiating relationship. He wants connection.

24:19 He wanted connection with his dad. He wants connection with Cain, and he wants connection with you. God knows what you've done. God knows where you've been. God knows all your mistakes, and he doesn't brush you to the side. He pursues you. He desires you. And so God walks up and he says, Cain, anything go on? Anything you want to talk about? And watch Cain. Cain's got the attitude of a teenager. Cain goes, I don't know. I don't know. where's your brother I don't know shoo asking me these questions watch what he said am i my brother's keeper he's so mad and angry that he's got attitude with god some of us have been so bitter and so broken you're even mad at god see anger says I'm mad at you. Jealousy says I'm mad at God. You've been good to him, and you've been favoring him, and you loved him, and you took, that's why I had to take him out, because you keep hooking him up. He said, am I my brother's keeper? See, the I don't know is the desire. Put it on the screen. It's the desire for separating. Put this up. I don't know comes from the desire to detach from the needs and the sufferings of others. What he's saying is your suffering's none of my business. Your problem is not my problem. What you're going through is on you.

25:49 What happened to Abel is on Abel. I don't know. It's trying to detach, but I want to tell you here at Zoe Church, we're going to take care of each other. We are our sister's keeper. We are our brother's keeper. Come on, clap today. Your problem is my problem. I'm going to help your kids. I'm going to help your marriage. Come on, clap today. It's called the commitment to relationship. it's called the commitment of compassion i'm gonna take care of you like you i am my brother's keeper and i don't know it's called indifference and the greatest killer of a marriage the greatest killer of a church is indifference i don't know who cares who cares what happens who cares what they did who cares what's going on i'll tell you who cares god does and if i got the spirit of god I got the spirit of care. I got the spirit of compassion. I'll show up on a Saturday and take care of people that lost their house in a fire. Why? Because I am my brother. Come on, somebody clap and thank God today. I'm going to step up. I'm going to rejoice when you rejoice. I'm going to weep when you weep because I care about God's kids. Give them a praise today. I am my brother's keeper. Oh, come on, Zoe. Praise him like you do care.

27:05 the problem is most of us trying to act too cool like i don't care oh that's their problem they lost their house they lost their job they lost their child well christian a jesus follower walks like a good samaritan and takes the man from the side of the road puts him up in the hotel and says give me all of his bills because i care about this man don't you live like no cane don't you get that attitude. Oh, no. Your attitude is your altitude. You will never live better than your attitude. And I want to, I want to pray over you today. The attitude of concern, the attitude of care, the attitude of compassion, the attitude of Jesus. Come on, praise him. Walking around, walking around, you know, like, I don't know people got an I don't know limb. I don't know.

28:01 Bobby Fisher, I don't know. Somebody got it. I don't know. I don't know. He's not asking Cain because he wants information. He's asking Cain because he wants Cain. God has been there in the lowest of your moments. He has been there in the dirtiest, darkest secrets of your life. And he has not asked you for information. He wants connection. He wants relationship. And so he says, where's Abel? Where's your brother? Where's your brother? I don't know what I look like. My brother's keeper.

28:56 And God's like, oh man, this is not good. This is not good. And so God, because he loves Cain, he disciplines him. And he tells Cain what life's going to look like moving forward. He loves him enough to have some consequences to his decisions. And he shows him mercy, but he shows him consequence. I love this about God. He will allow you to see the results of your decisions before you make them, but God will forgive you and simultaneously allow you to face the consequences of your choices. Don't you love that about God? How could we grow without it? And so God says, Cain, this is what life's going to look like. In fact, write down the last one. Worship team, come join me. Write down this last thought today. He was disciplined, but he was not destroyed. Read in verse 13. And Cain said to the Lord, my punishment is more than I can bear. You ever get in trouble when you're a kid growing up and your parents give you a punishment and you're like, this is too much for me to bear.

29:58 No treats for three days. You're an animal. Who can live under this? You hate me. today you are driving me from the land and I will be hidden from your presence and I will be a restless wanderer on the earth and whoever finds me will kill me but the Lord said to Cain I like that see you can do all your belly aching and all your complaining and all your whining but God's got something to say but the Lord said to Cain not so Anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over. And the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. So Cain went out from the presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

30:54 I like that, east of Eden, east of Eden, east of Eden. East of Eden is symbolic of outside of the perfect plan and design of God's will for your life. And I wonder how many of you today are sitting here, but you're living east of Eden. And I feel the Holy Spirit calling you back to the promised land, to the perfect plan. And God's will for your life.

31:17 You're not called to live east of Eden. Stop making your bed east of Eden. Stop acting like you were called and destined to live east of Eden. There's a promised land for your life. And so the Lord said, not so, Cain. I know you're emotional right now. You're an emotional guy. You're so emotional. You're a kid, you're a brother. But not so. And the Lord put a mark on Cain. I like that so much. I was thinking about markings in the Bible. You know, like when they marked the doorposts, when the Egyptians came through and the Israelites marked the doorposts and put blood on the doorposts that said, this is a child of God and the angel passed over. I like markings in the Bible. You know that God marked his hands? He's marked his hands. You've been engraved in the palm of God's hand. So even God's marked up. And here God marks, Cain. mine I feel like doing laps right now because some of you feel like God threw you out kicked you to the curb said I'm done with you you made a mistake and you are a mistake but I'll tell you even when God's disciplining you you're marked by the grace of God God marks you as a child hallelujah praise the Lord I've been marked by grace some of you think I've been marked I've been canceled. I've been, I've been put as damaged goods. I've been, I've been told I'm nobody. I've been, I've been marked by divorce. I've been marked by addiction. I've been marked by betrayal. You know, you're marked by something bigger and something better. And his name is Jesus, Jesus.

32:54 And the Lord put a, he put a mark in the world. We use scarlet letters, but in the Bible, we use the blood of Jesus. The world marks you and says you're damaged goods. You'll never be any, any good for anything because you killed, you did, you messed up, you. And the Lord put a mark on Cain. It reminds me, go in your Bible, the last scripture today, put it up Ephesians chapter one. I love this so much. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were, What's that word? What's that word? You were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. What's the seal? God marks you by the blood. He marks you by the covenant. He marks you as his child, his son, his daughter.

33:47 He marks you and then seals you. You know, like when you see in a movie, like from olden times, they put it in the envelope, this letter, this official letter that a carrier is going to take, and they close the envelope, and they seal it. The cross has paid the mark, but I tell you, the Holy Spirit seals you for the day of redemption.

34:12 So praise God. You're disciplined, but you're not destroyed. You're disciplined, but you're not destroyed. Because God didn't even do it with Cain. he said it's going to be at east of eden but i'm going to mark you so everybody knows you know what he's saying everybody's going to know cain's mine and god marked you so everybody will know you belong to god remember toy story even Buzz Lightyear and Woody, red on the bottom of their foot,

34:54 Andy, because they belong to somebody. I want to just tell you today, you belong to God. God's not tossing you aside because you made a mistake. Whether you think your mistake is as bad as Cain or not, if God can mark Cain, he can mark you. Do you believe it today? Stand to your feet.