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sin

Genesis 4:3-5
"3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering He had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell."

This week, we have begun our new series titled "FAITH WORDS." In this series, we will study classic words used by Christians to communicate very specific ideas and concepts. This week, we are studying a three letter word that the world absolutely hates... SIN. Nobody wants to use this little word nowadays. Even though we are all VERY familiar with it. We are all guilty of SIN, and we know it.

SIN started with Adam and Eve. They ate the forbidden fruit. Soon after, they began having children. Their children followed in their footsteps. In today's verses, we learn about the inciting incident. Both sons bring their offerings to the Lord. But their offerings were different. Cain showed a proud and withholding heart. His offering was rejected by God. Abel came expressing humility, sincerity, and believing obedience. His sacrifice God accepted. Abel offered in FAITH, and Cain attempted to please God in his OWN WAY. Which does not please GOD and that flooded Cain with negative emotions; a sense of guilt, disappointment, shame, grief, and envy of his brother.

We can read this record of events and see the SIN clearly described to us. It's more difficult for us to see the SIN in our own day to day experiences. Today, SIN has come to mean "missing the target." You know, like shooting for the bullseye, and you don't hit it. If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit we miss the mark every day. The second definition of SIN is "brokenness." We are too quick to break our relationship with God. We fight with each other and break those relationships. We are guilty on all accounts. We can call it whatever we want. When it comes down to it; it's that little three letter word, SIN.
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