Week 83 - Free Weekend Program for Children

Date: March 8, 2025

Theme: Deceitfulness of Riches and God’s Faithfulness.

Text: Genesis 4:16-26

Today, we will conclude our study of Genesis chapter 4. Last week, we saw that God placed a punishment on Cain for his sin. However, before that, God gave Cain a chance to come clean (repent) by asking, “Where is your brother?” Cain showed no conviction and was not ready to repent.

When his punishment was finally carried out, Cain didn’t care about being banished from God’s presence or how much harder he would have to work. He only cared about being protected from death. He was concerned with his life in this world, which is all he asked for, and God granted him that.

When trouble comes, do we seek to know God's will and ask for His guidance, or do we become fixated on our own way, only concerned about our lack of provision? Though God’s provision can be a guide toward His plan for us, it doesn’t always end there.

In verses 16-23, we see that even though Cain was no longer in God’s presence and completely disconnected from His will, he still became “successful.” He married, had children, and built a city, which was what he truly wanted. He didn’t care about God at all.

This may not entirely describe us, because sometimes we may still profess God loudly from all corners of our mouths while living for ourselves and seeking our own glory, not His. Like King Saul, we may have obeyed many things and sacrificed much, but we still hold back something for ourselves.

God is a good God; He makes all things beautiful in His time. We will never lose the joy of trusting Him, but even the smallest idol dishonors Him. We must learn to trust God and put aside our selfish ambitions - desires.

For those He loves, God will remove every last idol, even if it means public humiliation, blindness, and death, like in the case of Samson. For others, He will leave them to their own destruction. As Proverbs 1:32 says, "For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them."

Wealth is a great tool, and enjoying God-given pleasures is not a sin. However, wealth has no value in the Day of Judgment. It is better to be patient than powerful and better to have self-control than to conquer a city (Proverbs 11:4, Proverbs 16:32).

We must prayerfully seek God’s will. Whatever He adds to our lives, we should receive with thanksgiving. If He withholds something, we should still give thanks because He knows what is best. Sometimes, delays are not denials. As we wait, looking to Christ and trusting in Him, the Lord gives us wisdom, discernment, peace, prudence, and much more.

Cain built a city and named it after his son, showing fame and success—this is no small achievement for someone who was no longer in God’s presence. With his natural talents, hard work, and skills, Cain’s descendants were also successful in their work. But the more they prospered, the more their iniquities grew. They invented new sinful ideas. For example, Lamech introduced the idea of having two wives, something that wasn’t in God’s original design.

Psalm 73 speaks of how the righteous are troubled by the easy life of the wicked, but they later see their end. We shouldn’t be alarmed by the prosperity of the ungodly or self-serving saints; it will all amount to nothing in the end (1 Cor. 3:14-15).

There are no gray areas with God. A little compromise is disobedience and often more dangerous than larger issues because it is harder to detect without the Holy Spirit. Some of us are too quick to run without careful understanding and are hard of hearing - heeding warning signs, but now, we are learning through hard knocks, so deceitful and perplexing that it takes the grace of God alone to survive. Hebrews 4:12; 2 Cor.4: 7-10, Hebrews 5:8.

A popular line says, “Satan will take you further than you want to go and keep you longer than you want to stay.” This is the way of the flesh. It starts with “innocence,” but quickly runs wild through lust and becomes uncontrollable. Notwithstanding, our only hope is secured in Christ alone. (Isaiah 49:24-26); in Christ, our victory is sure.

Finally, Adam and Eve had another son, Seth, who had Enoch. During this time, people began to call on the Lord.

It’s not enough to devise good plans, use skills and talents, and be willing to persevere "unto death." We must take our desires and plans to God in prayer, asking Him to do His will in our lives. We should be ready to forsake everything we have devised for ourselves (vain glory) and seek to do His will alone and for His glory alone. If we are truly called by God and our tasks are commissioned by Him, we can trust Him by faith, knowing that He will do as He pleases, one day at a time.

The kids understood that obeying their parents is more important than getting what they want. There’s no joy in having a pack of biscuits if mom is unhappy with you. It's better to have a happy dad laughing with you than to have a pack of biscuits in front of an angry dad, not caring about his rules or his feelings. First, repent of your sins and seek to obey your parents. If they give you a pack of chocolates, then enjoy it! If not, be content with the smile on your dad’s face. He will be pleased with you.

As we all grow up, pleasing our Heavenly Father should be our priority, and we do this by faith—believing in Him and trusting Him, no matter what our circumstances may be.

Thank you for praying for us; our trust is in His faithfulness (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

For more teachings by Evangelist Heshimu Colar, please use the link below.

https://www.sermonaudio.com/broadcasters/thegospelfa/