2. Story Time
โข The Bible communicates in stories,
parables, poetry, prophecy and letters
โข We are going to look at some stories.
โข The Old Testament has lots of stories!
โข We are going to study a common theme.
โข Themes run throughout the Bible.
3. Sibling Rivalry
โข Who has siblings?
โข Are you ever at war?ย
โข What is a family?ย
โข What is the family of God?ย
โข You are in that family today!
4. Learning to be a family
โข 1 Timothy 5:1-2
โข Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but
exhort him as if he were your father. Treat
younger men as brothers, older women as
mothers, and younger women as sisters,
with absolute purity.
5. The Church is family
โข Kinda sounds like family!ย
โข The truth is when we are in theas Church,
โhouse of Godโ, better known
we are family, and should behave as such.ย
โข Sometime we only thingare all human,
in the positive. But we
of the this family
โข This doesnโt mean we won't matter.
quarrels... or rivalry for that
have
6. What is rivalry?
โข Competition: the act of competing as
for pro๏ฌt or a prize; โthe teams were in
๏ฌerce contention for ๏ฌrst placeโ
โข We do we have sibling rivalry?
โข To look better to our other siblings?ย
โข To look better to mom or dad!
โข To get the attention.
7. Genesis 4:2-5
Now Abel kept ๏ฌocks, 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. But
Abel brought fat portions from some of the
๏ฌrstborn of his ๏ฌock. 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.
8. Am I my
brotherโs keeper?
โข Why did God accept Abelโs offering
and not Cain's?
โข This is a trick question
โข God accepted both, but favored Abelโs
โข What is the favor of God exactly?
โข Hereโs the deal...
9. Sometime we feel like
weโve been screwed
โข Sometimes things just donโt go our way.
โข I could give you a lot of for instances!
โข Perhaps we wish we were richer
โข Had better parents
โข Went to a better school
โข Dated a different girl or guy
10. Feelings get hurt
โข Sometimes we are just not as luckily as others
and and we blame God for these things
because we feel we did everything right.
โข When you truly feel you โsuck at lifeโ how
does that make you feel?
โข When your parents give your brother or sister
something that you feel you deserve, how do
you feel?
โข Well, Cain felt like you do...
11. Letโs read on...
โข Genesis 4:6-7
โข Then the LORD said to Cain...
โข Why are you angry?
โข Why is your face downcast?
โข If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?
โข But if you do not do what is right,
sin is crouching at your door
โข It desires to have you, but you must master it.
12. What is Godโs advice?
โข We shouldn't let life depress or shape us.
โข Those are sometimes the breaks.
โข Romans 12:2
โข
13. Control your fear
โข We should act upon these moments and do
what is right.
โข This is not what feels natural sometimes!
โข If welittle voice weour head will growby sin...
that
don't act,
in
can be overtaken
louder,
our sel๏ฌsh, ๏ฌeshy nature
โข We must master the sin, you must
master the fear... like martial arts
14. Genesis 4:8
โข Now Cain said to his brother Abel,
โLetโs go out to the ๏ฌeld.โ And while they
were in the ๏ฌeld, Cain attacked his brother
Abel and killed him.
โข Did you ever here of the phrase โstab them
in the backโ? Well, this is the origins of that!
โข This is a good example of what not to do,
by the way...
15. Sin makes a monster
โข Sin took over Cainโs body and became evil
incarnate, like a monster.
โข Sin killed Abel because Cain could not
master it.
โข Sin is like a horror movie monster that
seems small and innocent, but takes control
of the whole man.
16. It starts with your mouth
โข James 3:7-8
โข All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and
creatures of the sea are being tamed and
have been tamed by man, but no man can
tame the tongue. It is a restless evil,
full of deadly poison.
โข Cain allowed his mouth to act on the sin.
17. Genesis 4:9
โข Then the LORD said to Cain,
โข โWhere is your brother Abel?โ
โข โI don't know,โ he replied.
โข โAm I my brother's keeper?โ
โข I love this response... ah...
the classic response to your parents...
18. I Donโt Know!
โข The classic response of denial
โข This iswe did something wrong when we
know
our immediate response
โข Did youthe fridge? I dunno container
back in
put the empty juice
โข Did you lock your sister in the basement?
I dunno
19. I Dunno, continued...
โข Did you break the couch? I dunno
โข Did you drop the cat of the roof? I dunno
โข Where's your brother at? I dunno
โข Did you kill him?
โข You know thatโs how youโd respond.
20. The ๏ฌrst question to God
โข What about the last part? The question?
โข โAm I my brotherโs keeper?โ
โข This is the eternal question
โข This is how we should respond...Yes!
โข You are the keeper of your brother and
sister. What does this mean?
21. Look out for others
โข We need to be mindful of others
โข Golden Rule: Do unto other as you
would have done unto you.
โข Greatest Commandment: Love the
Lord your God with all your heart, soul,
strength and mind and love your neighbor
as yourself