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Questions

  • What’s one area where you tend to give God your best, and one where you give Him your leftovers?

  • When you feel unseen or unrecognized, what happens inside you first—sadness, anger, shutdown, or motivation?

  • What’s one thing you do out of love (you want to), not obligation (you have to)?

  • What’s your default reaction when you realize someone is doing better than you?

The Heart of Faith vs. The Heart of Flesh

Anchor Texts

“By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts. And through faith he still speaks, though he is dead.” Hebrews 11:4 (MEV)

“For the Lord does not see as man sees. For man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (MEV)

Opening: We Miss the Heart of an Issue—But God Does Not

  • It is easy to get caught in surface-level storms (outrage, reaction, arguments) while missing what’s actually happening underneath.

  • The point isn’t to lecture people—it’s to show how easily the human heart drifts toward appearances, emotions, and reactions.

  • Transition: That same blindness shows up in Genesis 4. People miss the heart. Cain misses the heart.

Instruction: Read the whole story (Genesis 4:1–17).

Point 1

The Heart of Faith Responds in Love

The Heart of Flesh Focuses on Expectation

Cain
“And in the process of time Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.” Genesis 4:3 (MEV)

Abel
“Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of the fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering.” Genesis 4:4 (MEV)

Two Contrasts

  1. The First / Right Away vs. In the process of time

  2. The Best vs. Whatever meets the minimum

Heart Issue

  • Expectation/obligation says: “I’m supposed to.”

  • Love says: “I want to.”

  • The heart of faith responds in love because faith isn’t merely intellectual—it moves because love moves.

Illustration: Wife Story (Jessica)

  • You weren’t trying to meet a requirement. You were showing love.

  • Love gives the best, not the minimum.

Key Line: We love because He first loved us.

Point 2

The Heart of Flesh Compares, Becomes Embittered, and Desperate

(Expectation leads to a spiral)

“But for Cain and for his offering He had no respect. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.” Genesis 4:5 (MEV)

“If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:7 (MEV)

The Process (Spiral)

  • Comparison: Cain stops looking to God and starts looking at Abel.

  • Anger: Comparison births resentment.

  • Countenance falls: darkness replaces light; face down, not lifted to the Lord.

  • Desperation: sin crouches, desires, dominates.

Outcome: Cain kills his brother.

“Not Us… But Jesus Says We Are”

We read Cain and think: “Not me.”
But Jesus exposes the heart: the same disease is in us.

“For I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20 (MEV)

“But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. Whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.” Matthew 5:22 (MEV)

“But I say to you that whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28 (MEV)

“And will cast them into a furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:42 (MEV)

Beatitudes Connection

  • The ones who truly hear Jesus are crushed by it—in the right way.

  • Poor in spirit: spiritual beggars—“God, I need You. I can’t do it.”

Point 3

The Heart of Flesh Becomes Hard

The Heart of Faith Stays Tender

“My punishment is greater than I can bear.” Genesis 4:13 (MEV)

Clarification

  • The heart of flesh often has regret (about consequences), not repentance (about holiness).

  • Regret says: “I hate what happened to me.”

  • Repentance says: “God, change my heart.”

The Lamb: God Gave the Best

Object lesson: Anna Marie + her lamb (what’s “best,” what’s beloved)

“We love Him because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 (MEV)

“Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old, day by day continually.” Exodus 29:38 (MEV)

“Then you shall sound the trumpet loudly on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land.” Leviticus 25:9 (MEV)

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” John 1:29 (MEV)

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” Revelation 5:12 (MEV)

Communion Close

“As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take and eat. This is My body.’ Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” Matthew 26:26–28 (MEV)