Lesson on brotherly relationships

I'll try to follow on with what he's been telling us. And instead of being in the Millennial Temple, which I do enjoy very much and have dwelt there a number of days, different times, and also in the Book of Hebrews, I want to bring us back down to our relationship in a local assembly. And we'll read together in a strange place perhaps, but I want to read from Genesis chapter 4. Genesis chapter 4, we'll just break in the chapter from verse 3. Genesis 4 and verse 3, and in process of time, seems to be at a set time that was determined, it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord, and able he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof.

And the Lord had respect or satisfaction unto Cain and to Abel and to his offering, but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell, and the Lord said to Cain, Why art thou wroth, and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted, and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

And Cain talked with Abel his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not. Am I my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground, and now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand.

And when thou tillest the ground, it shall not hence forth yield unto thee her strength. A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. At this point, that's all I'd like to read.

I'm not sure that we can say that Cain was the oldest child of Adam and Eve. It's very possible that Adam and Eve had daughters perhaps before him, because Eve's expression is, I've gotten a man from the Lord. And of course, you remember that after this took place, then Cain was concerned lest somebody should smite him.

So there had to be other people that were already existing on the face of the earth to cause him to be concerned about others being an avenger of blood. Nevertheless, we have these two brought in scripture because God has a lesson he wants to teach us. And I want to seek to emphasize that it's a lesson on brotherly relationships.

And the question that I have that's been on my mind for about three or four weeks is this, where is Abel thy brother? Where is thy brother? I'm not looking at it in a physical sense. I'm not concerned about where you live or what kind of house you have, but the question should be on our minds and hearts. Where is your brother? Do you have a concern about your brother? I'm not talking about your brother in the family.

Naturally, I'm talking about your family, your relationship in the family of God. Where is your brother? Or do you have any concern about your brother? You know, the thought of brotherly relationships is something that's taught right through the word of God. You find a great emphasis on your brother in the Pentateuch.

Beginning of the law, Moses, God gives instructions about relationships between brethren. A respect for brother's property, a respect for brother's life, a respect for your brother's wife and his family, a respect for different aspects of your brother's individual character, slandering and so on. So God emphasizes greatly the need for a relationship in the family.

And God has brought you and me into a family, and it's a spiritual family. And even closer than the family of God, which is composed of all believers, there's a closer family, and that's the family of a local assembly. You might not call it a family, but it's a family relationship.

And it comes with passage. My brother's been reading to us in Romans 14, and he speaks a number of times, I think about four times at least. He says, thy brother.

Seven times in Genesis, God speaks to Cain and he says, your brother, it's your brother's blood. It's your brother. And he had risen up against his brother and murdered his brother.

Where is your brother? You know, Cain is a very interesting person. I find it interesting, first of all, perhaps because Cain represents the initial result of what sin brought into the world. You know, Adam disobeyed God.

And when we come to Cain, his son, he defied God. I sometimes wonder if Cain, if Abel, I'm sorry, get my words right here. If Adam would have taken a look around when this all began to happen and asked himself, what have I done? What a terrible thing I brought into this world.

I was thinking the other day, if he could take a look at what exists in our world today, I wonder if he'd say, I wish I'd never done it. You think of all the families that have been ruptured and ruined has brought into many lives and all the effects of sin and all that's brought in the world. But sin can have its effect in your life and mine.

Sin can have its effect in a local assembly and sin can ruin relationships in a local assembly. And so we have this man showing us the initial aspects of the responsible element of mankind when he's under sin and what happens as a result. You know, there's an interesting thing about Cain.

I hope it's not said about you and me, but God ignores Cain after chapter four. He has three references to Cain in the New Testament and those are the only references outside chapter four. And God says nothing about Cain.

He's not in any genealogies. He's not included in any history. It's just like it closes the book.

The word of God says in Proverbs, that the memory of the just is blessed, but the memory of the wicked shall rot. And here's a man that God says he was a wicked man. And in Hebrews chapter 11, he began that because he brought an inferior sacrifice and he was angry because God didn't accept it.

We find again that in first John chapter three, he's labeled there as a man that was a murderer. He murdered his brother. He was of his father, the devil.

And then we find as well, I guess this is my bottle of drink, isn't it? I need it. Sorry. And then we find in Jude's epistle, verse 11, that there's a way of Cain and there are many that have gone in the way of Cain.

So Cain is only mentioned in that those different references and God ignores him. I say it's a very sad thing when God ignores a man, when God has nothing more to say about him. And God has nothing good to say about him either.

I've noticed in my Bible, except for what Noah says at the end of chapter nine, that the only things that men are recorded that they say are the words of wicked men, the words of Cain in defiance, the words of Lamech as exalted in the killing of a man. And the words again of those in Genesis chapter 11, when decided to build a tower. Man is always occupied in speaking against God.

His language is antagonistic to God, isn't it? And these were the examples of those who were doing exactly that. And so God asked questions. You know, God asked two questions of Adam.

He first asked him, where art thou? It was a question of location. And it wasn't because God didn't know where Adam was. It was a question because he wanted Adam to come out honestly and reveal himself.

To come and face God and the reality of what he had done and to be honest before God. And God didn't ask Cain, where art thou? He asked, where's your brother? In one case, it was a question to produce repentance. In the case of Cain, it was a question to emphasize responsibility because he's saying to Cain, you are responsible for your brother.

Where is he? And you remember that he says, God says to Adam, he says, where art thou? And he says, what has thou done? And Adam had to face his sin. And when it comes to Cain, he repeats the same question, what have you done? And while Adam had to acknowledge what he had done in the presence of God, Cain refused to do so. He says, it's not my fault.

He defied God. So we see a degeneration. Sin causes degeneration.

I think we've been hearing that. Sin never causes improvement. Men may say that this world is improving.

Brothers and sisters, you and I know it's going downhill and it's on a slide that's going rapidly down toward the abyss. But thank God you and I are going up and we've been hearing that to encourage your hearts today. And so we have this expression, brother.

And I'm trying to emphasize to you this, very simple, very straightforward, that this is a matter of our relationship with our brethren. I want to encourage right relationships between brethren. I'm not speaking this to you because I've been speaking it to myself.

It's been troubling my heart. How am I doing in relation to my brethren? When I look at these two brothers in their relationship, first of all, I see that both of them were religious. They were both offering something to God.

Cain was the one that initiated. Cain brings his offering and he brings an offering that seems very pleasing to him. Cain was a religious man.

It was an expression of man's natural religion. A man that seeks to gain access to God, somehow please God, get acceptance with God by bringing what seems right to me. You know, I heard a man once tell me up in Lansing, Iowa, walking by door to door, and he said, I just try to keep the Ten Commandments and if that's not good enough, too bad.

I could say too bad. He was right. But he was saying essentially that if what I try to do and what seems right to me isn't good enough, then it's too bad.

God ought to accept it anyway. He doesn't. And here's a man that thinks I can come to God and I can bring what seems right to me.

It seems beautiful in my eyes. It's fruitful. I've labored hard for it.

And God rejected it. And instead he accepts a man because he brings a little lamb. And that's all he had to have.

So both of them were religious men. But when Cain was rejected, when his offering was rejected, he was not only envious of his brother, but he was very concerned about maintaining his position. Because he knew this.

If I'm not accepted before God, I'm going to lose my place of preeminence. God was saying, if you just bring the right sacrifice, you could also have the dominance in the family. He says, no, I won't do that.

But I want to maintain my position anyway. You know, dear brethren, what will ruin relationships and an assembly is a desire to maintain a position, right? A desire to have a place, to have a place of a measure of authority, to be listened to, to be appreciated and have others be willing to do what you say. A place of preeminence, a place of prominence, even just a place, oftentimes causes great difficulty.

And he was determined, I'm going to maintain that place at all costs. And so what did he do? He murdered his brother. And so we have the breakdown of relationship, a breakdown of what should have existed between two brothers that were the same family.

Some say they were even twins. I don't know. But here they are, and they're brought into the same family by the work of God, and they have a relationship with each other.

And so far as the word of God is concerned, there are no other ones. They're the only two. How important for them to get along and to be in a right relationship with each other.

But dear brethren, how much more important for you and me to have a right relationship with our brethren in a local assembly. We've been hearing about petty differences, and oftentimes that's all it takes to divide an assembly. Not assemblies I'm not speaking about.

I've heard of churches that are divided because the women couldn't decide what kind of plates to have in a kitchen. It doesn't take much. Brotherhood and fellowship is a very fragile thing.

You find the first instance of it being ruptured, and a relationship ruined, and a man eradicated because of the attitude of one brother. And that's all it took. And God says, where's your brother? And I want to answer that question.

I want to give some examples. But very quickly, first of all, King says, am I my brother's keeper? Can you hear the sarcasm in his voice? The derision? Am I my brother's keeper? You mean I have to take care of my brother? It's not the same word that is used previously in a chapter where it says that Abel was a keeper of sheep. That's a different word.

But the difference in the word is because of this. Abel was keeping brute beasts that were just animals, and providing for them, and guiding them, and shepherding them. When it came to his brother, he wasn't a brute beast.

He was just one that needed protecting. He needed the idea of having an interest and a care for him. It's the idea of being a guardian.

He says, am I my brother's guardian? But the words are very similar. He says, do I have to be a keeper of my brother like my brother is a keeper of sheep? I don't want that responsibility. I'm not interested.

But God is by insinuation saying, you are your brother's keeper. I wonder, dear brothers and sisters, do we really believe that? Do you have a concern for your brethren and sisters in the assembly? You know, they're precious to God. They've been purchased by blood.

They belong to the Lord. And sometimes we treat them in a manner that doesn't show that we appreciate them the way we ought. Many believers have become very discouraged today because of the attitude of other Christians toward them.

I could tell you individuals. I could tell you names of people that are just in the assembly because they know it's the right place to be, but they're not enjoying the fellowship of the believers the way they ought. I want to point out three ways that you and I can be keepers of our brethren.

We'll finish at four o'clock. I'm taking up Abraham when I think of it because in chapter 13 of Genesis, we won't turn to it, but Abraham showed that he was a keeper. He was a guardian for his brother.

What happens in chapter 13, you remember there is where there was a problem because too many possessions. And because of too many possessions, there was a conflict. There was a strife between the herdmen of Abraham's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle.

And Abraham was the one that God had called to come into the land. And Lot could very well have said to Lot, he said, you find a place to go, get out of my way because God brought me this land and you have no right to it. You just tagged along.

I want you to notice that Abraham showed he was a guardian or a keeper of his brother because of the respect he showed for Lot. He showed respect for his brother. Abraham never used derogatory language or condescending words toward his brother.

He said, Lot, you choose whichever direction. We can't live together. We're too close.

Too many possessions. They're a problem. He says, to solve this problem, you go ahead and choose.

You get the first choice. You choose which direction you want. I'll take the rest.

I don't know if you ever thought about it. I'm not going to insist upon this. Oftentimes we think that Abraham was a senior man.

Oftentimes we think that Abraham was older than Lot. That's a questionable thing. Lot may have been as old or older than Abraham.

You know, the owner of the family really was Herod, was the oldest son. Herod, Nahor, and Abram. Herod died early life.

We know that Lot was the oldest son of Herod. So it's very possible that Lot was older than Abram. Whether he was or not, notice that Abram dealt with his brother in a respectful way.

And that attitude, that relationship that they had between the two of them didn't degenerate into a kind of language that would have been abusive. Or in any way that he would have spoken in a way that would rob Lot of his dignity. No, he respected Lot.

He said, Lot, you just take the first choice. And Abram could do that because he depended upon the Lord to secure his place. He didn't have to worry about maintaining it by his own efforts.

And I ask you, my brethren, as I've been thinking about it myself, do I really have respect for my brethren? Do I treat them in a respectful way? Do I appreciate them? Do I recognize the dignity of the person? Do I let them know that they are appreciated? Do I try to solve difficulties by letting them have the first place or letting them have the first choice? Or do I insist on my rights? I want to have my place. I pass on because I don't have the time. You think about it.

Do you respect your brethren and sisters? I hope you do. I'm not sure I always have. I confess that.

That's why it's been speaking to me, been bothering me very much. Am I really my brother's keeper? Do I prize and appreciate my brothers so much? I want to do everything possible to keep them and to maintain them in a relationship, in a local assembly. Brother, they're worth it.

They're God's people. And God appreciates them more than we do. In chapter 14, we have not respect.

We have rescue. You remember there is a story where the kings are at war and Lot somehow gets caught up in the whole thing and he gets taken away into captivity. Everything that he has, he has nothing.

He's a captive of these powerful kings. And Abram hears about his brother Lot. Again, that's emphasized.

He hears about his brother. And with his confederates, he goes after them, 300 trained servants. And I don't think I have any record to say that Abram was a trained general of the army.

He used to be a keeper of sheep and cattle. But here's a man that doesn't hesitate. He's on the move right away.

He gathers them all together and he pursues after this great army. You know, it would have been very easy for Abram to say, well, too bad. He got himself into it.

He shouldn't have been down there anyway, should he? I told him not to move down to Sodom. It's a bad place to live. And however many times that you and I can say the same thing about a brother that needs to be rescued, he shouldn't have gone there.

He shouldn't have gotten away. He shouldn't have gotten involved with that person. And we just sit in our place of security and we're unwilling to go after him.

Now, Abram was a guardian. He was a keeper of his brother and he went after him and he rescued him. He did it without any hope or any desire to have anything returned to him.

He received nothing in return. He received absolutely not even one penny for his efforts. It was all at his expense.

But he says, I'm going to go until I get my brother returned and brought back. And brothers and sisters, there are believers that have gotten away. And I can say for sure, there's a lot of times when nobody ever goes after them.

Nobody ever seeks them. Nobody ever really cares. And even worse, sometimes the attitude is, I'm glad they're gone.

That's not being your brother's keeper. I mean, I say, obviously, not always can you see the return or not. But you know what James says? James says in the close of his epistle, if I can find it here, he says, if any do err from the truth, I want you to convert him, bring him back, restore him.

Know that such a one converts the sinner from his ways, save a person. I can't quote it exactly from the book of James. You know what James says? He says, some have compassion, saving them with fear.

They're only being influenced by wrong teaching or wrong practices. He says, you go after them, have compassion and seek them. You know, when we read about the good shepherd, he says the good shepherd went until he found it.

And I wonder sometimes if we're just willing to let our brother go. You know, they're only a troublemaker anyway. I heard about someone who was considered a troublemaker in one of the assemblies, the assembly where they were.

And the believers there were glad when they saw the person, this person move to another assembly. And afterwards, two brethren from that assembly, those two different assemblies met each other. And the second one, the first one said, how are you doing with that brother that left us and went to you? He was just a troublemaker where he was.

We're glad to see him go. Oh, he said, we're glad to see him come because it gave us an opportunity to show the love of Christ and to seek to bring him back and restore him. Dear brethren, there's a need to rescue because many a believer has gotten away from the assembly and nobody has gone after them.

Sometimes there may be just a difference between you and another brother or sister in the assembly. How much effort do you make to try and reconcile with your brother? Remember Matthew chapter five, leave your gift to the altar and go and be reconciled to your brother. Abram not only respected his brother, he rescued his brother.

In chapter 18, very quickly, you'll find there that he recognized Lot's need and he represented his brother in prayer. You find an amazing thing, probably the only time you find a man entertaining the Lord in his tent. The relationship Abram had with the Lord was tremendous.

I look at him, I look at Jeremiah, other men in the Old Testament, I wonder, could it be possible that I could enjoy that kind of relationship with the Lord himself? He could be frank with the Lord. He could speak to person to person but with reverence. You find at the end of that time, at the end of that meal when they're getting ready to leave and the Lord tells Abram what he's going to do.

I'm going to go down to Sodom to see if things are as bad as I consider they be. God is always righteous in his judgment. And Abram draws near to the Lord.

He says, Lord, if there are 50 in the city, will you not spare it? I'll spare it. On he goes down intelligently. He knows when to stop, but he knows how long to go on.

He says, Lord, if there are only 10 people in that city, will you not spare for 10 people? I'm sure that Abram must have thought there must be at least 10 people in that city, considering Lot and his family down there. And he intercedes for his brother. And brothers and sisters, I ask you as I ask myself, how much time do I spend in prayer interceding for my brother? I say that kindly because it convicts me.

We fail to pray for one another. I mean, that's one of the reasons why we need to consider the house and the condition of it. Because prayer one for the other is a thing that binds the believers together.

It's hard to be critical of brethren that you're praying for. I heard Dave Jones once, he used to be a missionary down in Chile, you know, your brother. He said one time, though, he says, when I can't sleep at night, I just start right around the circle of the Lord's Supper.

I pray for all the believers. Have you ever done that? Some assemblies, it wouldn't take very long, would it? Some might take longer. There's two things that'll happen.

It'll make you have a real desire to see them blessed and to do everything you can to bless them in your own presence in your ministry and your encouragement to them. The second thing it'll do, maybe not so important, it'll make you fall back to sleep. But let me ask you, brethren and sister, are you your brother's keeper? You know, doctrine is not something that is missing among us.

I think we understand doctrine. But relationships, we become insulated. We become self-centered.

We become self-occupied. We forget that God has put you and me in an assembly for a purpose. So we might be a help one to another, to reinforce and to strengthen God's people.

Paul speaks in Philippians chapter 1 about standing together, just like a team, like an army, and laboring together for the sake of the gospel. Listen, you are your brother's keeper.