The Gift Of The Firstborn

REVIEW

Yesterday, in Genesis 1–3, we saw Jesus in Genesis as the Seed. Genesis 3:15 states, “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” The first Messianic prophecy was found in the fall of man.

TEACHING

For the entire book of Genesis, as we focus on Jesus, we’re going to see Him as the Seed. When the fall of man took place, God still had an answer. It is the Seed.

Genesis 4:1-2: Eve conceived and gave birth to Cain. Some of us get stuck in sin, and we don’t move forward; but Adam and Eve knew there was hope, so they moved forward and had a child. Eve gave birth to a second son, Abel, who became a shepherd of the flock. Cain cultivated the land; he became a farmer. Since names are important in Scripture, we should note that “Cain” means to acquire or to possess. A literal English translation would be “got.” “Abel” can be translated as “breath,” meaning short-lived.

Genesis 4:3–4: In Genesis 3:15, we first noted two different seeds. In this passage, there are two different types of seeds functioning here. Cain as a farmer presented some of the land’s produce as an offering to the Lord, but he held back. Abel on his part gave the firstborn. He did not hold back. God saw the heart behind what they presented; He saw their motives. In his offering, Cain personified Isaiah 29:13: “The Lord said: Because these people approach Me with their mouths to honor Me with lip-service—yet their hearts are far from Me, and their worship consists of man-made rules learned by rote.” Cain asked, “What can I get by with?” So you have the seed of the serpent functioning with Cain. He was reproducing that spiritual enmity with God. And in Abel, you see the Seed of the woman (the Messiah), the love of God.

This is constantly the tension we have to go against: Do we want to function as a seed of the woman, knowing we have the Seed, Christ? Or do we function as the seed of the serpent, always trying to go against God and get away with whatever we can?

In Scripture, the firstborn is important. Exodus 34:19 says, “The firstborn male from every womb belongs to Me, including all your male livestock, the firstborn of cattle or sheep.” Deuteronomy 12:6 says, “You are to bring there your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tenths and personal contributions, your vow offerings and freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.” You are supposed to give the best to the Lord, not what you can get away with..

Abel was willing to give everything he could to his Father because he realized it was an offering to the Lord. Your life is not yours if you have the Seed, Christ, in you. Yet for some reason we think that each day we can choose whether we live for ourselves or the Lord. Walter Kaiser Jr. said, “God always inspects the giver and the worshiper before He inspects the gift, service, or worship.”¹I want us to have pure motives as we do everything in the Revive School. When we do that, God will honor that!

1 Corinthians 15:20: “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” Abel was presenting a foreshadowing of Christ as he offered the firstfruits.

1 Corinthians 15:21–22: “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” When you function in the spirit of the seed of the serpent, you die; but when you function in the spirit of the Seed, Christ, you live!

1 Corinthians 15:23–25: “But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at His coming, those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when He abolishes all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He puts all His enemies under His feet.” It starts with the firstfruits.

1 Corinthians 15:26–29: “The last enemy to be abolished is death. For God has put everything under His (Jesus) feet. But when it says 'everything' is put under Him (Jesus) it is obvious that He (God) who puts everything under Him (Jesus) is the exception. And everything is subject to Christ, then the Son Himself will also be subject to the One (God) who subjected everything to Him (Jesus), so that God may be all in all.” It starts with Christ as the Seed. When we consider the picture of Abel, then Christ, all of a sudden, is the first fruit.

Genesis 4:5–7: God didn’t have regard for Cain and his offering. But God effectively told Cain, “If you do what is right, you will be accepted” (v. 7). Here’s what I love about how God works. Even though Cain messed up, God gave him a second chance! If you do what is right, you will be accepted. God gave Cain a way out. All we have to do is humble ourselves and admit we are wrong. According to Isaiah 66:2, “My hand made all these things, and so they all came into being. This is the Lord’s declaration. I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at My word.” God accepts those who are humble and submissive in spirit.

Cain murdered his brother because he functioned in the seed of the serpent. Proverbs 28:13 states: “The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.” Praise the Lord for second chances (James 4:8)! Seasons of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19). Do you know how that happens? It happens through the firstfruits. God sent Jesus Christ as our firstfruits. And how is He the firstfruits? Because He is the Seed that we know was the answer to overcome all of this.

CLOSING

It wasn’t about what Cain gave; it was about his heart condition. Cain was still giving something, but he was thinking more about himself. Jude 1:11–13 warns, “Woe to them! For they have traveled in the way of Cain…these are the ones who are like dangerous reefs at your love feasts …nurturing only themselves without fear. They are like waterless clouds carried along by winds; trees in late autumn—fruitless, twice dead, pulled out by the roots,” These are the ones who are dangerous…they are fruitless.

We have to start being careful of people in the Church. If we want to change culture, we can’t be about ourselves. We have to be about Him! We have to bring the best to the table. The whole book of Jude is about warning people that it’s not going to get better. We have to contend for the faith. According to 1 John 3:11–13, “For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another, unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s works were righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.” We should love one another, unlike Cain, who was of the evil one.

When you have the Seed, Christ, you have love for God and love for others. When you have the seed of the serpent, like Cain, you think of yourself.

Don’t be surprised if the world hates you. What I really believe is happening, is that as the Lord is coming, if you function in righteousness and bring the firstfruits, the world will hate you. If you bring the firstfruits, which is Christ, to the table, then you’ve got nothing to lose because your life isn’t yours anyway.

Abel brought his best. It was a foreshadowing of Christ being the best. Don’t bring the leftovers. It’s an interesting picture in Genesis 1–6: the seed and the firstfruits all point to Christ.