TheCloseofTheCommandmentsDoYouWorshipDeathorLifeGen4

The Eleventh Sunday After Trinity     31-August-2025
Sermon Text: Genesis 4:1-15/ The Close Of The Commandments
Sermon Theme: “The Close Of The Commandments: Do You Worship Life or Death? I. Following Your Way Is Death!(vs.1-8) II. Repent of Your Sin! (Vs.9-13) III. Believe In God’s Grace and Mercy In Jesus! (Vs.14-15) by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. Gen 4:10 And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. Emmanuel, our Creator, our God and Savior is with us! He promises that He draws near to us in His Church as we gather around His Word and Sacraments. Jesus hears the blood of 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski crying out from the sanctuary of Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Last Wednesday morning as they gathered in chapel to pray and hear the Truth of God’s Word - a demonic man martyred them. His self-autonomous religion of lies filled him with hatred of Christ Jesus, children, and the Church. Worldly minded leaders and news reporters immediately mocked prayer as useless. No surprise! Two things that Satan fears the most are the Truth of God’s Word - first, the Holy Bible being preached, taught, confessed in this fallen world - second, Christians praying - especially gathered in God’s House.
       Dr. Martin Luther remembering men martyred in his day for preaching the Gospel wrote: Not to mention a thousand others, who although their names are not so prominent and renowned were yet fellow sufferers with confessors and martyrs. The blood of all these, I say, cries aloud still, and that cry will in its time cause God to descend from heaven and execute judgment in the earth, a judgment which will be awful and intolerable to the enemies of the Gospel. Let us not think therefore that our blood is disregarded of God. Let us not imagine for a moment that God regardeth not our afflictions. No! He collects all our tears, and puts them into his bottle, Ps. 56:8. The cry of the blood of all the godly who have thus been slain penetrates the clouds, enters the heavens, and comes even unto the throne of God, and moves him to come forth and vindicate the blood of the righteous that has been shed, Ps.79:10. And in the same manner as these things are written for our consolation, so are they also written for the terror of our adversaries. For what think you can be more awe-striking to our tyrants to hear than that the blood of all they have slain continually cries aloud and accuses them before God? God is indeed long-suffering, especially now toward the end of the world; and therefore sin lieth the longer “at the door.” Vengeance does not immediately follow. But it is sure and certain that God is most righteously offended with all this sin, and that he will never suffer it to pass away unpunished.”
       The demon possessed man in Minneapolis slaughtered Fletcher and Harper in the pew they sat praying wounding seventeen other Christians in the sanctuary. Then he committed death by suicide. Satan, the world, and your fallen reason would tell you prayer is useless. Don’t fall for the lie! We believe, teach, and confess the Truth with Dr. Luther in the Large Catechism: 30 For this we must know, that all our shelter and protection rest in prayer alone. For we are far too feeble to cope with the devil and all his power and adherents that set themselves against us, and they might easily crush us under their feet. Therefore we must consider and take up those weapons with which 31 Christians must be armed in order to stand against the devil. For what do you think has hitherto accomplished such great things, has checked or quelled the counsels, purposes, murder, and riot of our enemies, whereby the devil thought to crush us, together with the Gospel, except that the prayer of a few godly men intervened like a wall of iron on our side? They should else have witnessed a far different tragedy, namely, how the devil would have destroyed all Germany in its own blood. But now they may confidently deride it and make a mock of it; however, we shall nevertheless be a match both for themselves and the devil by prayer alone, if we only persevere diligently and not become slack. 32 For whenever a godly Christian prays: Dear Father, let Thy will be done, God speaks from on high and says: Yes, dear child, it shall be so, in spite of the devil and all the world.”  If you’ve grown lax in prayer - repent. Learn again from your Small Catechism to pray every morning, every evening, at every meal. God the Holy Spirit calls you: 1Th 5:16-18 Rejoice always, (17) pray without ceasing, (18) in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
    Today we learn from historically accurate account of the martyrdom of Abel -“The Close Of The Commandments: Do You Worship Life or Death? I. Following Your Way Is Death!(vs.1-8) II. Repent of Your Sin! (Vs.9-13) III. Believe In God’s Grace and Mercy In Jesus! (Vs.14-15)
I. There are only two religions in this world. No, I’m not talking about the True religion and the False religions. There are the religions that worship death and the religion that is Life! Man made self chosen worship of follow my own way is the path of death. It is the rebellion that as children of our fallen father Adam we are conceived and born into, as David confessed, Psa 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
      History records (vs.1-2) Adam and Eve had been driven out from the Tree of Life for they trusted Satan’s lie of self-chosen prideful spirituality apart from God’s Word. The Lord God, our Creator, is mercy! He didn’t leave them to go to hell. He sought them out preaching His Word - repent and believe the Gospel! Turn from Satan’s lies and cling to the Promised Christ born of a woman alone to forever crush Satan’s head and stop his lying mouth. Adam believed the promise of Jesus - blessing his wife with the name “Eve” the mother of all living for from a woman alone - a virgin Mother- Christ Jesus would be born in due time. Eve also trusted the promise. Adam and Eve follow God’s Word of blessing over their marriage - to be fruitful and multiply. Adam draws near to his wife, not out of lust, but trusting God’s blessing and promise in Jesus. Eve conceives. Bears perhaps twin sons. The first born she confessed, “I have gotten a man - the Lord!” Naming him “Cain” the “acquired one”. The second boy is born and she names him, “Abel” only a “breath” perhaps a “sigh” since she reverenced her firstborn son above all.
      Cain follows his father’s footsteps and farms the ground. He puts down his roots in this world. Abel is assigned to shepherd the herd of wandering sheep - a stranger and pilgrim in this world. (LSB pg. 322, Close of Commandments) What do these words that God spoke to the children of Israel at Sinai through Moses 2,500 years later have to do with the first family? The Holy Spirit teaches you, Rom 2:14-15 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, (15) who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) From the sixth 24 day of the existence of all matter, about six millennia ago, God’s Holy Will - the Law was encoded on every human heart. To put it in computer terms - the Ten Commandments are our base operating system. They were clouded and corrupted with Adam’s rebellion, and they are clouded by our sin - still they remain. Study history - civilizations have always honored family, protected human life, marriage, property, and reputation giving due process.
     Adam and Eve catechized their two sons and daughters in the Word of God preached from their Creator. (Vs.3-5a) On the day of their rebellion - God drew near to our leaf covered parents to cloth them through the sacrifice of an animal - perhaps a lamb. Adam gathered his family often in the church of the promised Messiah. The sacrifice was made in faith - not for man to earn God’s favor - but so God might draw near to them to gift them in Jesus. God has never left Himself without signs attached to His Word of promise. Ancient commentators tell us that as the sacrifice was placed on the altar it was God who sent fire from heaven to consume it - to show that His promise of Jesus stood firm as they lived by faith in His mercy. Cain’s sacrifice outwardly was fine it was the first fruits of the ground. What was missing? Learn from the Holy Spirit: Heb 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. Cain trusted in himself - his first born son status - not in the promise of the Savior to come - Jesus!
    What our heart fears, loves, and trusts in first shows itself on our face... (vs.5b-8) Scripture teaches, 1Jn 3:11-12 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, (12) not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. Cain’s anger flows from his prideful heart that had given itself over the lies of the wicked one. The Lord God is gracious, He calls Cain to repent, through the preaching of Adam. The preaching office isn’t man made it is the divine office in the Church where we hear the voice of Jesus preaching His doctrine - calling us to repent and believe the Gospel! You do well - only by faith in Jesus in His Word and Sacraments - not by your self-chosen works, feelings, experiences, or thoughts. Beware of your own self chosen spirituality -Pro 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
II.  The walking dead - that is what we are from conception. Dead in sin. Dead trespassing on God’s Law choosing to do things our way. The world loves us to walk in its ways following fleshly passions. We carry out the desires of our body and mind with the lie of self-autonomous freedom - not seeing we are chained to the devil - the prince of the power of the air - the lying spirit at work in our disobedience. What do we earn? God’s just wrath. (LSB pg. 322, Close of Commandments, W.D.T.M? to “them”)
       Break God’s Law you die. Imagine you identify as a bird. You convince yourself you are a bird, take bird hormones, and certain you have the right to fly. What happens when you climb the water tower and leap flapping your arms? The Law of gravity - God wrote upon His creation kicks in - you fall - you die. Only fools deny God and His Law. Unwilling to confess his sin, Cain murders his brother. The problem wasn’t the axe, hoe, or rock he used to commit murder. The problem was his sin infested heart.
     Fear God’s Wrath! Look into the mirror of God’s Law and see your sin. Don’t hide it. Don’t murder your brother sinner by imagining you’ve done better works than his. Be honest! God knows your sin! (Vs.9-13) The Lord God through the preacher Adam calls the murderer to account. The blood of Abel cries out for justice to God. Sin cannot be hidden. It must be confessed!
III. “Lord, be propitiated to me the sinner!” Cover me with the blood of Jesus!  (LSB pg. 322, Close of Commandments, W.D.T.M? “But - end”) He promises grace and every blessing to all who perfectly keep these Ten Commandments. How have you done? (Vs.13-15) With Cain we cannot bear the punishment we deserve. Cain was excommunicated from the Church of the Second Adam. Adam and Eve mourned the shattering of their family. One son dead. Their first born son and his wife one of their daughters sent out. Still there was mercy. A mark was placed upon Cain to protect him - giving him time to repent from his worship of death to return to Life flowing forth in Jesus’ blood. Heb 12:22-24 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, (24) to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.”
        Jesus - the God-Man - kept God’s Law perfectly FOR YOU! In Him the promise of grace and every blessing is yours! Confessing your sins - you are washed forgiven in the blood red words of absolution - you go home justified - declared not guilty - God’s beloved children in Jesus. Love and trust your heavenly Father - gladly do what He says! Mar 12:29-31 Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'HEAR, O ISRAEL, THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE.  (30) AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' This is the first commandment. (31) And the second, like it, is this: 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
       The blood of Jesus cries out, “LIFE!” Life for My baptized infants, and praying children in My Church! Forgiveness, life, and salvation are given Christians! Not by fire from heaven, but in the still small living voice of Jesus in baptism, absolution, and the Lord’s Supper. These words, "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins," shows us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation. Believe in Jesus! Pray! Confess the Living Truth to our culture chained in Satanic darkness. Amen.