Memorial Day is a time to remember the ultimate sacrifices made by our men and women in the military who have laid down their lives to defend our freedoms. Some of the bravest have received the Congressional Medal of Honor. According to the U. S. Army’s website, “The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest medal for valor in combat that can be awarded to members of the armed forces. The medal was first authorized in 1861 for Sailors and Marines, and the following year for Soldiers as well. Since then, more than 3,400 Medals of Honor have been awarded to members of all DoD services and the Coast Guard. Medals of Honor are awarded sparingly and are bestowed only to the bravest of the brave; and that courage must be well documented.” Interestingly, 9 Medals of Honor were awarded to chaplains who either died or risked their lives rescuing the wounded and attending to the spiritual needs of dying soldiers.[1] In his Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln described such sacrifice as the “last full measure of devotion.”[2] But, Jesus stated it best when He said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.” John 15:13 (NKJV) The deaths of people are sad things, but they are to be remembered—especially when the person dies for a righteous cause.
This morning I want to take you back to the first reported death in the history of humanity. As it happened, this first death was for a very righteous cause. Adam and Eve had been evicted from the Garden of Eden due to their disobedience and sin. Eventually, Eve gave birth to her first son, Cain. Later, she had a second son, Abel. But, despite their original sin, Adam and Eve continued to worship God. We can see this by the fact that they taught their two sons how to worship God. In that regard, they were far ahead of many parents today who, though raised in the Church, have given little or no attention to guiding their own children in the ways of God. But, again—that was not the case with Adam and Eve, for in Genesis 4, we find their two sons coming to God in worship. One would come with a grateful heart in righteousness, but the other came in selfish, unrighteousness. Listen to the Bible’s first reported worship service as performed by the two sons of Adam and Eve, followed by the world’s first vicious act of murder: 2b “Abel became a shepherd, while Cain was a farmer. 3 At harvest time, Cain brought the Lord a gift of his farm produce, 4 and Abel brought the fatty cuts of meat from his best lambs and presented them to the Lord. And the Lord accepted Abel’s offering, 5 but not Cain’s. This made Cain both dejected and very angry, and his face grew dark with fury. 6 ‘Why are you angry?’ the Lord asked him. ‘Why is your face so dark with rage? 7 It can be bright with joy if you will do what you should! But if you refuse to obey, watch out. Sin is waiting to attack you, longing to destroy you. But you can conquer it!’ 8 One day Cain suggested to his brother, ‘Let’s go out into the fields.’ And while they were together there, Cain attacked and killed his brother. 9 But afterwards the Lord asked Cain, ‘Where is your brother? Where is Abel?’ ‘How should I know?’ Cain retorted. ‘Am I supposed to keep track of him wherever he goes?’ 10 But the Lord said, ‘Your brother’s blood calls to Me from the ground. What have you done? 11 You are hereby banished from this ground which you have defiled with your brother’s blood. 12 No longer will it yield crops for you, even if you toil on it forever! From now on you will be a fugitive and a tramp upon the earth, wandering from place to place.” Genesis 4:2-12 (TLB)
Abel’s sacrifice was acceptable to the LORD, but Cain’s was not. Was that because God preferred shepherds over farmers? Was it because God didn’t care for a vegetarian sacrifice, but loved the smell of lamb? Of course not! As Warren Wiersbe explained: “Cain wasn’t rejected because of his offering, but his offering was rejected because of Cain: His heart wasn’t right with God.” What did he mean by that? Well, notice that Abel’s sacrifice consisted of “cuts of meat from his best lambs.”[3] Abel didn’t offer God scraps of low-grade hotdogs whose “sell-by” date was about to expire. No—Abel offered the prime cuts of lamb that were mouth-watering and unbelievably good—better than anything you could get today in the finest restaurant around. He gave it willingly, joyously and gratefully. Because of that attitude in his heart, Abel was righteous in the eyes of God. In other words, he loved God and had complete faith in Him. He knew that he wasn’t losing anything by offering God the finest of his lambs. Abel was confident that God would always make provision for him as time went on. In other words, Abel had a heart that was right with God. That’s what “righteousness” is: Being right with God.
But, Cain was anything but right with God. When God rejected his offering of “farm produce,” it wasn’t because God didn’t like grain and fruits. In fact, much later in world history, the Law of Moses designated grain and fruits as being the prescribed offerings to sacrifice during worship.[4] So, God didn’t have anything against farmers nor did he favor shepherds. The problem wasn’t the kind of sacrifice Cain had; the problem was the kind of heart Cain had. He had a self-centered, arrogant, unthankful heart. If we read between the lines, it is not difficult to see that Cain’s “gift of his farm produce” was some low-grade stuff. Have you ever picked a tomato from your garden, and it had a plug bitten out of it by a terrapin? Or, have you picked an apple from a tree, but it was spotted with an ugly blight? Well, that apparently was the quality of “farm produce” Cain offered to God as a sacrifice. Now, why was that? Why did Abel give the best that he had while Cain gave things that the Louisa Food Bank wouldn’t accept? It all came down to faith and love in God. Abel had it, but Cain did not. In Hebrews 11:4, we are told: “It was by FAITH that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a RIGHTEOUS MAN, and God showed His approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.” Hebrews 11:4 (NLT2)
Abel had faith in God. What does that mean? Well, Abel knew those fine young lambs that he raised were not something he could take full credit in producing. When it looked like the pastures might shrivel up in a drought, God had sent the rain and sunshine the grass needed to grow in those pastures upon which the lambs grazed. God had protected the sheep from diseases and predators that could have reduced his flock to nothing. God had given him the strength and health to do the many tasks that a shepherd must do to protect and nurture his sheep. Abel had faith in God and trusted Him to provide the things needed to sustain his life. And so, Abel’s act of sacrifice to God gave credit to the One to whom credit was due. You see, Abel already knew something that Moses would say much later when he proclaimed: “Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the LORD your God.” Deuteronomy 10:14 (NLT2)
But, Cain was completely different. He had no faith that God would provide because, as far as he was concerned, God had not provided him anything to begin with. He would never acknowledge that his agricultural products were something God gifted to him. Rather, Cain was convinced God had nothing to do with it. In his mind, the crops and fruits were a product solely of his own labors. Thus, his heart was devoid of gratitude to God. Accordingly, he gave God the scraps of his table, and nothing more. That’s why his heart was not right with God. You cannot have a righteous heart when your head is full of self-centered pride and evil, unrighteous thoughts. That is why, in the New Testament, the Apostle John warns us: 12 “We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. 13 So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.” 1st John 3:12-13 (NLT2)
But, despite the evil in Cain’s heart, God gave him a chance. God told him that he could be “bright with joy” if he would “do what he should.” What was it that God was trying to get Cain to do? God wanted him to change his mind, change his attitude, and change his disposition. In a nutshell, God wanted Cain to repent! He wanted Cain to be a righteous man like his brother, Abel. But, Cain wouldn’t listen. He went from bad to worst. He left the worship service with contempt for God and with murder in his heart for Abel. Perhaps, Abel sensed this. But, Abel wasn’t about to turn from God just to make his brother feel better about sinning. You see, Abel was dedicated to the most righteous cause of all—serving and worshipping God. And, he would have rather died than turn away from the LORD.
We do not know how much time passed before Cain lured Abel into that field and killed him. It might have been the same day, or sometime later. Whenever it was, Cain’s vicious act did not escape God’s eye. When God confronted Cain, he didn’t immediately condemn him. Rather, the LORD allowed him the opportunity to confess his great sin. God was looking for some sign of regret and sorrow on Cain’s part for the evil he had done. But, all God received from Cain was an arrogant reply when He asked him where his brother was. After it became clear that Cain had no intention of confessing or asking forgiveness, God told him: “Your brother’s blood calls to me from the ground. What have you done?” Genesis 4:10 (TLB) God’s words here may have been a way of expressing the grave injustice Abel had experienced at the hands of his brother. But, I have to wonder if God may have been speaking literally when He said Abel’s blood called out to Him. If so, what did his blood cry out? Did it cry out for his murder to be avenged? Did the blood howl for retribution upon Cain? No—not Abel. How do we know this? Because a righteous person who knows God does not react that way. As such, the blood of Abel may well have called out something similar to what the most righteous man of all prayed to God for those who committed the greatest injustice in human history when they nailed Him to a cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34 (ESV)
And so, the life of this first “righteous man” came to a bloody, violent end. And yet, that wasn’t the end of Abel. His blood may have cried out as his body laid limp on the ground, but righteous men don’t stay that way—for that matter, neither do righteous women. There are several hints about this throughout the Old Testament. In fact, I would bet Abel heard about this from his mom and dad. Just before Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden, God gave His own prophecy that pointed to a future resurrection of the dead. God turned to the serpent, Satan, who had deceived them and said: 14 “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live. 15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:14-15 (NLT2) God wasn’t talking about Eve’s immediate offspring, Cain or Abel, who would soon be born. Rather, God was pointing far into the future to a town called Bethlehem where a teenager by the name of Mary would give birth to a son and call Him, “Jesus.” All Satan would be able to do to Jesus was “strike Jesus’ heel.” The “striking of a heel” referred to something painful, but would not be permanently fatal. This referred to Jesus’ death on the Cross. It was a death so temporary that three days in the tomb would be followed by Jesus’ Resurrection. It is the Resurrection of Jesus that inflicted the head wound that slowly, but surely, will lead to Satan’s final destination in a lake of fire. Cain, and those like him who allow Satan into their lives, will join Satan there. But, the righteous shall be resurrected unto eternal life in God’s Heavenly Kingdom. And so, from the very beginning of humanity, God gave us the promise of a future resurrection. Surely, Adam and Eve passed the good news of this promise to their children. Abel, being a righteous person, took on hope when he heard this. Cain, on the other hand, apparently rejected this hope.
But, this isn’t the only place in the Old Testament that points to a general resurrection of those who live their lives in a way that they are “right with God.” Job points to the hope of the resurrection when he said, 25 “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and He will stand upon the earth at last. 26 And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! 27 I will see Him for myself. Yes, I will see Him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!” Job 19:25-27 (NLT2) Long before Jesus was ever born, it appears that the Holy Spirit put the thought into Job’s mind that, once he died and was buried, his decayed body would be restored and come alive again. In other words, at some future time known only by God, Job would be resurrected. Not only that, it was revealed to Job that a “Redeemer” would be coming who would make all this a reality. That Redeemer, of course, is the Son of God—Jesus Christ.
Similarly, the Prophet Daniel knew of the coming future resurrection of humanity. Speaking of the End of Time, an angel of God revealed this to Daniel saying: 1 “At that time Michael, the archangel who stands guard over your nation, will arise. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued. 2 Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace. 3 Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.” Daniel 12:1-3 (NLT2)
Tomorrow is Memorial Day when we remember our fallen military heroes. It is good that we remember them at least once a year. But, when it comes to the promise of the resurrection of the dead, we need to remember that hope every day. As I mentioned earlier, President Lincoln mourned the fallen Union dead in the Gettysburg Address by noting that they gave their “last full measure of devotion” fighting for their country. There was much mourning to be done in both the North and the South—for it is estimated that at the Battle of Gettysburg a total of 46,000 to 51,000 soldiers from the Union and Confederate armies lost their lives.[5] To put that in perspective, the estimated current population for Louisa County is only about 41,000 people.[6] But, for those in Christ—for those who knew God and, like Abel, were righteous men, Gettysburg was not their end either. They too had the promise of the resurrection unto eternal life.
In fact, in the Book of Ezekiel, God gave the Prophet Ezekiel a vision of a valley filled with the dried bones of a vast defeated army with as many scattered corpses as at Gettysburg. As Ezekiel watched the vision unfold, muscle and tendons, and then flesh, began to cover the bones as bodies reformed and again came to life. This vision was to give the exiled people of Israel hope that their nation would one day be “resurrected” again. But, perhaps it pointed to something beyond that. The early Christian church fathers, Tertullian and Jerome, understood this vision to also refer to the final resurrection when Jesus comes again to bring the righteous home.[7] The thought of vast numbers of dead soldiers in huge armies like at Gettysburg, or as in Ezekiel’s vision, coming to life again is hard to imagine. But, it will certainly happen! The dead at Gettysburg and those in Ezekiel’s vision will be but a tiny fraction of the multitudes that will rise again. Every soul that ever lived will be miraculously reunited with resurrected bodies. But, there are only TWO possible destinations for those resurrected bodies. A righteous remnant will see Abel in Heaven. The remaining majority will join Cain in Hell. Jesus tells us: 28 “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.” John 5:28-29 (NASB)
So, who will you be joining, Abel or Cain? It is absolutely crucial to your eternal destination that you make sure whose “army” you have joined here during your earthly life. Sadly, there are entire denominations of churches in America today that have compromised the Word of God. In order to gain worldly popularity, they have accepted the so-called right to abortion, LGBT immorality, false gender ideology, and the toxic lies taught by the philosophy of “diversity, equity and inclusion.” They have joined a false army filled with false teachers and church leaders. If you compromise the Word of God in order to be popular with the world, then Satan becomes your Commander in Chief. Consequently, unless those errant churches change, they may find themselves enlisted in Hell’s army. In keeping with today’s military theme, let me mention a news article that appeared last year in the New York Times.
The article stated that three of our military branches—the Army, Navy, and Air Force—have tried everything they know to entice people to enlist. They have compromised their otherwise stringent standards. For those recruits who are educationally deficient, they have offered them remedial courses just so they can pass the entrance exams. In some instances, they have even offered whopping signing bonuses up to $75,000! Nevertheless, last year, these three services were more than 25,000 recruits short of their desired target. They compromised the integrity of their reputations as competent military forces and in the process made no recruiting progress whatsoever. None of this is very encouraging when we consider the dangerous world in which we live.
But, the U. S. Marine Corps took a very different approach. The Marines kept their entry requirements at a top level and offered no perks for enlisting. The news article described the Marines’ recruiting philosophy this way: “In a nutshell, [this] is the Marine Corps’ marketing strategy: Dismiss financial incentives as chump change compared with the honor of joining the Corps. Brush off the idea of military service as a steppingstone to civilian career opportunities. Instead, dangle the promise of the chance to be part of something intangible, timeless, and elite.” In early 2023, the commandant of the Marine Corps was asked why he thought such a recruiting method could work if the Marines refused to offer their recruits any bonuses. The commandant responded: “Your bonus is that you get to call yourself a Marine. That’s your bonus.”[8] So, how did this work out for the Marine Corps? Well, by September 2023, the Marines had already met 100% of their recruiting goal. The Corps’ uncompromising approach was a complete success. (Now, that is not to say that the Army, Navy and Air Force personnel are not to be remembered on Memorial Day. That is not the point at all. There are many, many dedicated men and women in these branches who have served, and are currently serving, this country so bravely and sacrificially.)
But, there is a lesson in this for the churches of America today. And, the message is this: Stick with the Bible. Don’t compromise its moral standards and teachings in the name of gaining more “recruits.” Why?—because any other approach will end up with the Church being changed by the world, instead of the world being transformed by the true, unadulterated Word of God. The men and women in our military services have sacrificed so much to preserve our freedoms. Should we, as the people of God, do anything less to preserve the truth of the Gospel? Bravery in battles can win service personnel Medals of Honor that are worn around the neck. The righteous who serve in the name of Jesus Christ receive an infinitely more valuable reward. It is an eternal crown worn on the head. Paul described this crown as follows: “Finally, there is laid up for me the CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 2nd Timothy 4:8 (NKJV) But, that Crown of Righteousness is available only to those without sin. The problem is we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.[9] Because of that, are we hopeless? Abel knows the answer. So do Job, Daniel and Ezekiel. Our hope bursts forth when Jesus struck Satan’s head with that fatal blow. It was then that He provided His “last full measure of devotion” as He died on the Cross and then was resurrected from the dead. He paid for our sins with His blood, and God raised Him from the dead as confirmation of the victory His sacrifice achieved. That is what makes a heavenly Crown of Righteousness available to all those who have faith in Christ, love Him and follow His commandments. But, here’s the thing: This heavenly crown will not fit those, like Cain, who reject God’s righteousness and cling to a worldly attitude of arrogance and pride. We who are here today are not in a position to win a Congressional Medal of Honor. But, that Crown of Righteousness is well within your reach! Don’t wait—now is the time to claim it today!
Let us pray.
Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor
Forest Hill Baptist Church
May 26, 2024
©2024 All Rights Reserved as follows:
Anyone is at liberty to use this sermon or any portions thereof for educational or religious purposes, with or without credit. The pastor believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia.
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[1] United States Army, Medal of Honor, https://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/ [accessed May 21, 2024].
[2] The Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln Online, https://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm [accessed May 21, 2024].
[3] Warren Wiersbe, Be Basic (Genesis 1-11), (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2003), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 36-37.
[4] Ibid. (See Leviticus 2 and Deuteronomy 26:1-11.)
[5] Wikipedia contributors, "Battle of Gettysburg," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Gettysburg&oldid=1223339005 (accessed May 22, 2024).
[6] United States Census Bureau, Quick Facts, https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/louisacountyvirginia/PST045222 (accessed May 22, 2024).
[7] James Burton Coffman and Thelma B. Coffman, Coffman Commentary: Ezekiel: Of the Major Prophets, Vol. 3, (Abilene, Texas: ACU Press, 1991), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 41.
[8] Dave Phillips, “U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force Struggle for Recruits. The Marines Have Plenty,” The New York Times (October 17, 2023).
[9] Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (NASB)
