THE FIRST VICTIM OF SELF

How the Fallen Seed Birthed Babylon and Why Jesus Came to Destroy It All

THE PATTERN OF ALL EVIL

“For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother.” (1 John 3:11-12)

Cain was the first victim.

Not the victim of Abel. Abel was the victim of Cain.

Cain was the first victim of SELF.

And in becoming the slave of SELF, he became the murderer of his brother, the builder of the first city without God, and the father of the Babylonian system that would eventually enslave all humanity.

This is the story of how SELF entered the world, how it killed, how it built, how it spread, and how Jesus came to DESTROY IT ALL.

PART 1: CAIN’S CONDITION - BORN OUTSIDE EDEN

Never Knew the Glory

Genesis 3:23-24

“Therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.”

Adam and Eve were expelled before Cain was born.

Think about what this means:

Cain never saw Eden.

Cain never experienced the Glory of God.

Cain never walked with God in the cool of the day.

Cain never knew the absolute goodness of God firsthand.

He was born outside.

Born in the fallen world.
Born into disgrace.
Born into death.
Born into SELF.

The Seed of the Serpent

Genesis 3:15

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”

God prophesied two seeds:

- The seed of the woman - ultimately Jesus Christ

- The seed of the serpent - the offspring of Satan’s spiritual influence

1 John 3:12

“not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother.”

“Of the evil one” - (ek tou ponerou)

Literally: “OUT OF the evil one”

Cain’s origin, nature, and character came FROM the evil one.

Not that Satan was his biological father, but that Satan’s nature was Cain’s spiritual DNA.

And what is Satan’s nature?

SELF.

What Cain Never Knew

He may have been TOLD about:

- The Garden of Eden
- The glory of God’s presence
- The absolute goodness of God
- Walking with God in perfect fellowship
- Life without death, pain, shame, or fear

But he never EXPERIENCED it.

He only knew:

- Toil
- Sweat
- Thorns
- Thistles
- Pain
- Death
- Separation from God

He was born DISGRACED.

Never honored. Never knowing the full glory. Never experiencing what was lost.

Born fallen.

-----

PART 2: THE UGLINESS OF SELF REVEALED

The Offering: God’s Way vs. Cain’s Way

Genesis 4:3-5

“So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.”

God had given clear instruction about offerings.

We know this because:

Abel brought the right offering (blood sacrifice, firstlings)

Cain brought the wrong offering (fruit of the ground)

“By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain” (Hebrews 11:4) - faith comes by hearing, so Abel heard and obeyed

God specified what He wanted: A blood sacrifice.

Why Blood?

Hebrews 9:22

“And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

Leviticus 17:11

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.”

From the very beginning, God established this principle:

SIN REQUIRES DEATH.
ATONEMENT REQUIRES BLOOD.
FORGIVENESS REQUIRES SACRIFICE.

Not works. Not effort. Not the fruit of human labor.

BLOOD.

Cain’s Self-Righteous Offering

Cain brought “the fruit of the ground.”

The fruit of HIS labor.
The product of HIS work.
The sweat of HIS brow.
SELF-righteousness.

He came to God on HIS terms.
With HIS offering.
In HIS way.

This is the essence of SELF:

- “I’ll do it MY way”
- “I worked hard for this”
- “God should accept what I bring”
- “My effort should be enough”

It’s the spirit of Cain in every religion:

- Buddhism: Achieve enlightenment through YOUR effort

- Islam: Earn paradise through YOUR works

- Mormonism: Become gods through YOUR obedience

- Modern Christianity: Be a good person and God will accept YOU

ALL of it is Cain’s offering.

ALL of it is SELF.

And God REJECTS it all.

The Response: Anger, Not Repentance

Genesis 4:5

“but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.”

Notice Cain’s response when God rejected his offering:

NOT: “God, what did I do wrong? How should I have come to You?”

NOT: “Let me bring the right sacrifice like Abel did.”

NOT: “I’m sorry. I’ll do it Your way.”

BUT: Anger. Rage. A fallen countenance.

THIS IS SELF:

- Offended when corrected
- Angry when rejected
- Prideful when shown to be wrong
- Defiant when confronted with truth

Genesis 4:6-7

“Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.’”

God gave Cain a chance to repent.

“If you do well” - if you bring the right offering, I’ll accept you.

“Sin is crouching at the door” - SELF is waiting to devour you.

“You must master it” - you must KILL SELF before SELF kills you.

But Cain refused.

-----

PART 3: THE ANATOMY OF SELF - CAIN’S FALL

The Components of SELF Displayed

In Cain, we see the full, ugly display of SELF in seven parts:

1. SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS

“I’ll approach God MY way.”

Cain trusted in his own works, his own effort, his own goodness.

He rejected God’s prescribed way (blood sacrifice) for his own way (fruit of the ground).

Proverbs 14:12

“There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”

This is every false religion and every unregenerate heart:

- “I’m basically a good person”
- “My good deeds outweigh my bad”
- “I don’t need a Savior; I’ll save myself”

2. SELF-JUSTIFICATION

“God is being unfair.”

When God rejected his offering, Cain didn’t admit he was wrong.

He justified himself and blamed God for being unreasonable.

Proverbs 21:2

“Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts.”

This is the fallen heart:

- “Why should I have to do it God’s way?”
- “My way is just as good”
- “God is being too strict”

3. SELF-PITY

“Poor me.”

“His countenance fell” - he sulked, he pouted, he felt sorry for himself.

Not sorry for his sin. Sorry for himself.

This is SELF:

- “Nobody appreciates me”
- “I work so hard and get nothing”
- “Life isn’t fair to me”

4. SELF-FOCUS

“It’s all about ME and how I feel.”

Cain was consumed with his emotions, his comfort, his feelings.

He couldn’t see anyone else’s perspective - not God’s, not Abel’s.

Only SELF mattered.

Philippians 2:21

“For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.”

5. SELF-PROMOTION

“I deserve recognition.”

Cain expected God to honor his offering, his work, his effort.

When God honored Abel instead, Cain was jealous.

Proverbs 27:4

“Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, But who can stand before jealousy?”

Jealousy is the rage of SELF when someone else gets what SELF thinks it deserves.

6. SELF-PROTECTION

“I won’t admit I’m wrong.”

God confronted Cain directly, gave him a chance to repent.

But Cain refused to humble himself, refused to admit error, refused to change.

He protected his EGO at all costs.

Proverbs 16:18

“Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.”

7. SELF-PRESERVATION

“I’ll eliminate the threat.”

Abel was the living rebuke to Cain.

Abel did it right. Abel was accepted. Abel exposed Cain’s error.

So SELF decided: Abel must die.

This is the ultimate goal of SELF: Kill anything that threatens it.

-----

PART 4: THE FIRST MURDER - SELF KILLS RIGHTEOUSNESS

The Murder

Genesis 4:8

“Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.”

The first death in human history.

Not natural causes. Not accident. Not disease.

MURDER.

And why?

1 John 3:12

“not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.”

Cain killed Abel because Abel’s RIGHTEOUSNESS exposed Cain’s EVIL.

The Pattern Established

From that moment forward, this has been the pattern:

SELF always kills what threatens it.

Religious SELF killed the prophets (Matthew 23:29-37)

Religious SELF killed Jesus (John 11:47-53)

Religious SELF killed Stephen (Acts 7:54-60)

Religious SELF killed the apostles (church history)

Religious SELF kills true Christians today (persecution worldwide)

Why?

Because TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS exposes FALSE RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Because GRACE threatens SELF-EFFORT.

Because TRUTH destroys SELF-DECEPTION.

Jesus said:

John 15:18-20

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you… If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”

John 3:19-20

“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”

SELF hates the light because light exposes SELF.

-----

PART 5: THE CURSE AND THE ENTITLEMENT

God’s Confrontation

Genesis 4:9-10

“Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Where is Abel your brother?’ And he said, ‘I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?’ The LORD said, ‘What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.’”

Even after murder, Cain displayed SELF:

He LIED - “I do not know”

He was DEFIANT - “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

He showed NO REMORSE - No confession, no repentance, no sorrow

This is SELF: Unrepentant even in the face of horrific sin.

The Curse

Genesis 4:11-12

“‘Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.’”

The curse matched the crime:

- You killed your brother on the ground → You are cursed from the ground

- You brought an offering of the fruit of the ground → The ground will no longer yield for you

- You rejected God’s presence → You will be a wanderer (separated, restless, homeless)

The deepest curse: Perpetual restlessness with no rest.

The Entitlement

Genesis 4:13-14

“Cain said to the LORD, ‘My punishment is too great to bear! Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.’”

Even in judgment, Cain displayed SELF:

“My punishment is too great!”

Not “My sin is too great.”
Not “What I did to Abel was horrific.”
Not “I deserve this curse.”

“MY punishment is too great!”

SELF-PITY even in judgment.

And then: SELF-PROTECTION.

“Whoever finds me will kill me!”

He demanded God protect him from the consequences of his own actions.

The Undeserved Grace

Genesis 4:15

“So the LORD said to him, ‘Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.’ And the LORD appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.”

Astounding.

Cain murdered his brother in cold blood.
Cain showed no remorse.
Cain complained about his punishment.
Cain demanded protection.

And God gave it to him.

Why?

This is the mercy of God even to the worst of sinners.

Not because Cain deserved it. He didn’t.

But because God’s nature is mercy even in judgment.

YET - Cain remained cursed, separated, restless.

Grace doesn’t remove all consequences. It keeps us alive for potential repentance.

-----

PART 6: BUILDING BABYLON - THE LEGACY OF SELF

Cain’s City: The First Babylon

Genesis 4:16-17

“Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son.”

The pattern:

“Went out from the presence of the LORD” - Complete separation from God

“Settled in the land of Nod” - Nod means “wandering” - settled in restlessness

“He BUILT A CITY” - Created his own kingdom WITHOUT God

“Called it after his son” - Named it for HIMSELF (his legacy)

THIS IS THE BIRTH OF BABYLON.

The Babylonian system is:

- Building a kingdom WITHOUT God
- Making a NAME for ourselves
- Creating security through SELF-EFFORT
- Establishing civilization based on HUMAN achievement

The Line of Cain: The Culture of SELF

Genesis 4:17-24

From Cain came:

- Lamech - the first polygamist (SELF-INDULGENCE)

- Jabal - father of those dwelling in tents with livestock (SELF-SUFFICIENCY)

- Jubal - father of musicians (SELF-EXPRESSION without God)

- Tubal-cain - forger of bronze and iron (SELF-ADVANCEMENT)

- Lamech’s boast - “I have killed a man for wounding me… If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold” (SELF-EXALTATION, SELF-DEFENSE, VIOLENCE)

Culture, art, technology, civilization - all divorced from God.

This is not to say these things are inherently evil.

But when built on SELF, separated from God, for human glory - this is BABYLON.

-----

PART 7: NIMROD - THE CULMINATION OF CAIN’S PATTERN

The Mighty Hunter

Genesis 10:8-10

“Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, ‘Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.’ The beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.”

Nimrod - the first world dictator.

“Mighty hunter BEFORE the LORD” - Can mean “in place of” or “in opposition to”

He hunted men, not just animals. He conquered. He ruled. He built.

And the BEGINNING of his kingdom was BABEL.

The Tower: The Ultimate Expression of SELF

Genesis 11:4

“They said, ‘Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.’”

The four elements of Babylonian SELF:

“Let US build” - Human effort without God

“For OURSELVES” - Selfish ambition

“Make for OURSELVES a NAME” - Self-glorification

“Tower reaching to heaven” - Self-exaltation to God’s level

This is the SPIRIT OF CAIN perfected:

- SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS (we’ll reach heaven OUR way)

- SELF-GLORIFICATION (make a NAME for ourselves)

- SELF-SUFFICIENCY (we don’t need God)

- SELF-EXALTATION (we’ll be like God)

Isaiah 14:13-14 (Satan’s original sin, now in Babylon)

“But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God… I will make myself like the Most High.’”

Babel = Babylon = The system of SELF attempting to reach God through human effort.

God’s Response

Genesis 11:5-9

“The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. The LORD said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.’ So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth”

God confused their languages and scattered them.

Not because He was threatened by their tower.

But because unified humanity in rebellion against God would accomplish unlimited evil.

“Nothing which they purpose will be impossible for them” - in EVIL.

Babel = Confusion.

And confusion has been the mark of Babylon ever since.

-----

PART 8: THE PATTERN CONTINUES - NEBUCHADNEZZAR

The Pride of Self

Daniel 4:30

“The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?’”

Same spirit. Same pride. Same SELF.

“I myself have built”
“By the might of MY power”
“For the glory of MY majesty”

Count the personal pronouns: I, MYSELF, MY, MY, MY.

This is SELF.

The Judgment

Daniel 4:31-33

“While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you, and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field… until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.’ Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle”

God humbled him to the level of an ANIMAL.

Why?

To teach him: “THE MOST HIGH IS RULER.”

Not you. Not SELF. GOD.

The Restoration

Daniel 4:34-37

“But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever… Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”

Only when SELF was completely broken could he see truth.

Only when he stopped looking at HIMSELF could he look UP to God.

This is the pattern for every soul:

SELF must be HUMBLED before God can be EXALTED.

-----

PART 9: JESUS CAME TO DESTROY IT ALL

The Mission: Destroy the Works of the Devil

1 John 3:8

“the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”

What are the works of the devil?

ALL FORMS OF SELF.

Every expression of:

- SELF-righteousness
- SELF-sufficiency
- SELF-glorification
- SELF-exaltation
- SELF-preservation
- SELF-protection
- SELF-promotion

Jesus came to DESTROY it all.

Jesus Had NO SELF

This is the stunning reality of the Incarnation:

Jesus, the eternal Son of God, had ZERO SELF.

Philippians 2:5-8

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Jesus EMPTIED Himself.
Jesus HUMBLED Himself.

No self-promotion.
No self-protection.
No self-preservation.
No self-exaltation.
No self-anything.

ONLY the Father’s will.

John 5:30

“I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

John 6:38

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

John 8:50

“But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges.”

How Jesus Destroyed SELF

1. He Lived Without SELF

Jesus demonstrated that a human being can live in complete surrender to God with ZERO SELF.

He lived the life we should have lived.

Perfect obedience.
Perfect submission.
Perfect dependence.
Perfect humility.

NO SELF.

2. He Died to Destroy SELF

On the cross, Jesus didn’t just die for our sins.

He died to SELF.

Romans 6:6

“knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin”

Galatians 2:20

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me”

When Jesus died, He took our SELF to the cross and KILLED it.

3. He Rose to Give Us His Life

Jesus didn’t just die and stay dead.

He ROSE.

And in rising, He offers us a NEW LIFE - His life - a life WITHOUT SELF.

2 Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

Colossians 3:3

“For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Our old life of SELF is DEAD.
Our new life is CHRIST’S LIFE in us.

-----

PART 10: DESTROYING ALL FEAR AND DEATH

SELF is the Root of Fear

Why do we fear?

Because SELF wants to be protected, preserved, promoted.

SELF fears:

- Rejection (threatens SELF-worth)
- Failure (threatens SELF-image)
- Loss (threatens SELF-security)
- Suffering (threatens SELF-comfort)
- Death (threatens SELF-existence)

ALL fear is rooted in SELF.

Jesus Destroyed Fear

Hebrews 2:14-15

“Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”

Jesus DESTROYED the power of death.

And in destroying death, He destroyed FEAR.

Because what can death do to us now?

Nothing.

1 Corinthians 15:55

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Death has no power over those in Christ.

Therefore FEAR has no power.

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

1 John 4:18

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”

SELF fears punishment because SELF knows it’s guilty.

But in Christ:

- We have NO condemnation (Romans 8:1)
- We have NO punishment (1 John 4:18)
- We have NO fear (2 Timothy 1:7)

Because SELF is DEAD and we live in HIS PERFECT LOVE.

-----

PART 11: THE CALL - DIE TO SELF

The Command

Luke 9:23-24

“And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.’”

“Deny himself” -(aparnesastho heauton)

Utterly reject. Completely disown. Totally renounce SELF.

“Take up his cross” - Not a metaphor for “deal with difficulties.”

The cross = DEATH.

Daily execution of SELF.

What This Looks Like

Die to:

- SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS - Stop trusting in your goodness; trust Christ’s righteousness alone

- SELF-SUFFICIENCY - Stop relying on your strength; depend on God’s power

- SELF-PROMOTION - Stop building your platform; exalt Christ

- SELF-PROTECTION - Stop defending yourself; let God vindicate you

- SELF-PRESERVATION - Stop clinging to comfort; embrace sacrifice

- SELF-EXALTATION - Stop seeking glory; give God all glory

- SELF-FOCUS - Stop making it about you; make it about Christ

Practically:

When insulted: Don’t defend yourself (die to SELF-PROTECTION)

When overlooked: Don’t promote yourself (die to SELF-PROMOTION)

When suffering: Don’t preserve yourself (die to SELF-PRESERVATION)

When tempted: Don’t indulge yourself (die to SELF-GRATIFICATION)

When serving: Don’t glorify yourself (die to SELF-EXALTATION)

Every. Single. Day.

The Promise

John 12:24-25

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.”

If you cling to SELF, you lose EVERYTHING.

If you die to SELF, you gain ETERNAL LIFE.

-----

PART 12: THE FINAL VICTORY - BABYLON FALLS

The Announcement

Revelation 18:1-2

“After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!’”

The system of SELF will FALL.

Every structure built on:

- Human achievement without God
- Self-glorification
- Self-sufficiency
- Self-righteousness

ALL OF IT will be DESTROYED.

The Call

Revelation 18:4

“I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues’”

This is the call NOW:

COME OUT of SELF.

COME OUT of the Babylonian system.

COME OUT of self-reliance, self-promotion, self-everything.

COME INTO CHRIST.

The Consummation

1 Corinthians 15:24-28

“then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power… When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.”

The final state:

NO SELF remains.

Only GOD.

“God may be ALL IN ALL.”

No human kingdom.
No human glory.
No human achievement.
No SELF.

Only the Glory of God filling everything.

This is what Jesus came to accomplish.
This is what He WILL accomplish.
This is VICTORY.

-----

CONCLUSION: FROM CAIN TO CHRIST

The Pattern of SELF

Cain → Nimrod → Babel → Babylon → Nebuchadnezzar → Mystery Babylon

All the same spirit:

- Self-righteousness
- Self-sufficiency
- Self-glorification
- Self-exaltation
- Self-preservation

All ending in:

- Murder
- Pride
- Confusion
- Judgment
- Fall

The Victory of Christ

Jesus came and:

- Lived without SELF
- Died to SELF
- Rose to give NEW LIFE without SELF
- Destroyed the works of the devil (all SELF)
- Conquered death
- Abolished fear
- Will destroy Babylon

And He calls us:

DIE TO SELF.
LIVE IN CHRIST.
COME OUT OF BABYLON.
FOLLOW HIM.

The Choice

You are either:

Building your Babylon (city of SELF)

OR

Entering His Kingdom (death to SELF)

Serving SELF

OR

Serving CHRIST

Walking in the way of CAIN

OR

Walking in the way of ABEL (whose sacrifice was accepted)

There is no middle ground.

The Gospel

The Good News is this:

You don’t have to be like Cain.

Yes, you were born in SELF.
Yes, you are fallen, disgraced, outside Eden.
Yes, you have the seed of the serpent in your nature.

BUT JESUS came to give you a NEW NATURE.

2 Peter 1:4

“He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

You can be BORN AGAIN.
Not of the seed of Cain.
But of the SEED OF THE WOMAN - Jesus Christ.

John 1:12-13

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

The Call

REPENT - Turn from SELF to CHRIST

BELIEVE - Trust in His finished work, not your effort

RECEIVE - Accept His life as your life

DIE - Daily take up your cross and crucify SELF

LIVE - In the power of His resurrection

And watch as He DESTROYS:

- Your SELF-righteousness
- Your SELF-sufficiency
- Your SELF-glorification
- Your fear
- Your death
- Your Babylon

And BUILDS:

- HIS righteousness in you
- HIS sufficiency through you
- HIS glory manifested in you
- HIS peace filling you
- HIS life flowing from you
- HIS kingdom established in you

-----

THE FINAL WORD

Cain was the first victim of SELF.

Don’t be the next.

Jesus came to set you FREE.

Let Him destroy SELF.
Let Him destroy fear.
Let Him destroy death.
Let Him give you HIS LIFE.

SOLI DEO GLORIA

-----

“For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother.” (1 John 3:11-12)

Don’t walk in the way of Cain.
Walk in the way of Christ.

He is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE.

NO SELF.
ALL CHRIST.
FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.