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Alright, a very good morning to all of you, both people and congregation gathered here on site and online; we are thankful we can worship God together as one this Sunday morning. We have been looking at the book of Genesis, and today we continue with Genesis chapter 4.

Now if you drive, you will be familiar with this term ‘blind spot’, isn't it? A blind spot is something you can't see or somewhere you can't see very clearly. Now when you drive, you can see very clearly what's in front of you, right through your windscreen. And then you can see things that are happening behind you because of the rear-view mirror. And you might see quite well for things that are beside and behind you because of your side mirrors.

But there's something called the blind spot you can't see, which is somewhere just beside you because it's right beside your side mirrors and it's not captured there. And so it's very dangerous if you drive without doing a necessary shoulder check. A shoulder check is where you just turn your head 90 degrees to check what's beside you when you make any lane switches.

Now I talked about blind spot because I think in Genesis chapter 4 and 5, we come to a blind spot where many people miss. Many people just miss out because they don't really check what's there. They're familiar what's behind them, in that they have studied Genesis 1 to 3, what's besides them in the story of Cain and Abel. They are able to see what's ahead of them because of the familiarity with the story of Noah and the flood.

But most people when they look at the book of Genesis, they skip chapter 4 second half and chapter 5 altogether. And you would rarely hear any sermons preached on these two chapters. But this morning, I'd like us to do a little ‘shoulder check’, an intentional look at these so called ‘ulu’ passages—Ulu means deserted; people don't really go there—kind of a passage.

Now, I can understand why we would skip chapter 4 and 5, because if you look at the verses on the surface, it's really nothing much, you would say. So let's … let me read this very quickly, just to let you appreciate how ‘ulu’ or how easily skipped or missed these words can be.

“Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. He knew his wife …” that his … he had sexual intimacy with his wife, “… and she conceived and bore this child, Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.” [Gen 4:16-17]

“To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael and Mehujael would father Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah and the name of the other, Zillah." [Gen 4:18-19]

“Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.” [Gen 4:20-22]

“Lamech said to his wives: 'Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I've killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain's revenge is sevenfold, the Lamech is seventy-sevenfold.'" [Gen 4:23-24]

You look at this message and say, huh! I'm just reading some funny names about this family. What's there for us to see? So let's take a little look. It's not going to be—I hope—a long sermon, but I hope it will be a helpful message for one and all.

Now to make sense of what God is trying to communicate in chapter 4, you've got to remember the context. The context of all this is that … that Cain had just killed Abel. Remember this man Cain—he's a hypocrite. “He pretends to worship God, but actually he’s of the devil,” the Bible says. He hates God.

What he did by offering his fruit and vegetables is an affront to God. It's offensive to God because he did not offer it in faith. He did not see that he was a sinner needing the salvation or the grace of God in his life. And he ultimately betrayed his true self, when in anger and jealousy he murdered his own brother.

Now for all that Cain did, God would have been righteous; He would be absolutely guiltless in killing Cain. There's nothing wrong with giving that due punishment to Cain. But God did not kill Cain; God actually allowed Cain to live on.

And I think the reason is probably so that we might appreciate what's going to happen to Cain's life, when he continues in his sin. What's going to happen when he has children, and when his children will have children? What's going to be his legacy? What's going to be the consequence, the sequelae of a man who is allowed to sin or a community that is allowed to sin?

So the question that I think we are seeking to answer is—what's your legacy? What is Cain's legacy if he is allowed to live on in his sin? And what will be your legacy in your life? So this is a passage that allows us to think a little bit more long term.

And on the surface when you look at this passage, it seems like Cain is doing quite well. Because he had a child—he is not stricken with barrenness, or his wife is not stricken with barrenness. Indeed, he was successful in that he built a city. Now that's quite something! A city is a fortified place with walls and with people standing on watch and guard.

Now, not only does he have Enoch, he has grandchildren and great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren. And in our society today, we say that if you have a lot of children and many, many grandchildren, you're quite blessed, isn't it? In Chinese, we say, 子孙满堂” [zǐ sūn mǎn tang]. Wow! That's a good life! Cain has a good life. He has children. He has a city and his heritage. His family line is actually quite smart and quite successful because they … they had people who kind of pioneered animal husbandry.

One of his great, great, great, great grandchildren, was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. And then Jubal was the master of music or who played the lyre and pipe. And then there are people who are the founders of metal works. They are the forgers of instruments of bronze and iron. So Cain's family seems to be real good, isn't it? A city, children, great grandchildren and then the master of these arts.

But if you look a little bit more closely, even though Cain had all this success, and progress and prosperity and posterity, the Bible here is actually allowing us to see a people of rebellion and sinful willfulness before God. You say, where do you get that? I just see success. No, no,no—it's actually a people of willful rebellion against God.

You see, the very fact that Cain would have a city is already rebellion against God. The fact that he built this fortified walls is a statement of intent—he does not want to obey God. You say, how do you get that? Again, the context. You look at verse 12—when Cain sinned against God, God did not kill Cain. He could have, but He did not! But this is the judgment that is pronounced upon Cain that, “He shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” [Gen 4:12] God said that to Cain.

Now Cain obviously understood this message, because in verse 14, he responded, he lamented. “Oh, behold, You have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” So he gets it, he knows it.

But the reason why he does not want to be a fugitive and wanderer is because he … he understands that whoever finds him will kill him. Probably because he's the first murderer on planet Earth; he killed his own family, he killed his own brother. And so the other siblings or maybe even the other nephews and grandnephews would want to take revenge. And so he says, “I'll be killed.”

However God said to him, not so Cain! It will not happen to you. In fact, if I may say, I promise you. I guarantee you. It will not happen to you. "'Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.' And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.” [Gen 4:15]

Now, we do not know what that mark is. Is it a halo? Is it …? I do not know what that mark is. But it is clear that there is a mark that is provided for Cain, so that no one will kill Cain. God will put His own protection upon him. However Cain obviously … when you now come to verse 16 and 17, realize that he did not want God's plan for him. He did not want to trust in God's protection for him. He wanted his own plan. He wanted his own protection, and therefore he settled and he built a city, and he named his son, Enoch.

Now, the name Enoch means initiation. In other words, he wants to start a new way of life. It's almost a statement saying to God, “I don't care and I don't want what you have planned for me! I want my own plans. I'm going to build my own city. I'm going to have my own fortified walls. I'm going to get my own people to stand guard. I am going to protect myself. This is the new way of life, Enoch.”

And then we see also his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and the names that were given to them. Now, I … I don't want to suggest that when we read the Bible, we always read too much into names. But on the other hand, we should also sometimes be aware of what the names represent.

So in this case, we have already learned about the name Enoch. The word, Enoch, means initiation, to start something new, so Enoch is the start of a new life for Cain as it were. “And then to Enoch was born Irad.” [Gen 4:18] And Irad means wild donkey. Now this is hard to … to interpret, I suppose. Why would you call your son, donkey? Imagine if I … or actually in a … in a lexicon and dictionary, it's actually wild ass. Wow, that's even worse in modern day.

So imagine you call your son, donkey. Why? Well there are … it's hard to tell exactly why. But comparing Scripture with Scripture, we see in Genesis 16:12, “He shall be a wild donkey.” Now this is talking about Ishmael, alright. In Genesis 16:12, not … not about Irad. But this is the way the old-times people look at a donkey. “He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him.”

So the characteristic of this wild ass, or wild donkey is that it is crazy—it just … it's aggressive, it attacks everyone. In our Chinese vernacular, also not so rare, you know. We say there is ‘siow beh’ [crazy horse in Hokkien dialect]. You've heard of that term, 'siow beh’, ‘siow kia’ [crazy child in Hokkien dialect], 'siow beh'. Anyhow run—it's like a wild horse.

So the idea here probably, when he calls his son … Enoch calls his son Irad, is that he's an aggressive man. He is not a … he's not someone who's very popular, I suppose. He's aggressive. He fights. He wars. He takes things into his own hands. He's a warrior on his own. So maybe that's why he calls him Irad, but that's very hard to ascertain.

And then next, “Irad would have his son, Mahujael.” [Gen 4:19] Now the word, ‘el’, I think you would know represents God. Now Mahujael means smitten of God. This might be a way to describe the … the … how the family views their life, apart from God. They feel stricken, they feel smitten, they feel that they have been dealt a hard hand by God.

And then the next one is even more graphic, it means the death of God [referring to Methushael]. Why would anyone? Why would anyone call his son "the death of God". It's … it's almost like a curse, a blasphemous statement against God, but that's the name of my son—we hate God, the death of God.
And then finally, Lamech means the powerful one.

So this whole community seems to revolve around a certain defiance and rebellion and hatred and anger, animosity against God. So the city itself is a statement of rebellion, the naming of their family people is a statement of rebellion against God. And then it seems to climax and peak at the life, or just one thing about this great, great, great grandson of Cain, his name is Lamech. He's the fifth generation from Cain. But I can tell you, because they live very long, they were contemporaries. They live together, not as if Cain has passed away.

So we read about Lamech and this is what he said to his wives. In his whole life, there must be many things to talk about, but there's only one thing mentioned about Lamech here, and this is … it is about a song, it is about a poem, he … he said to his wives.

“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I've killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain's revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech's is seventy-sevenfold.” [Gen 23-24]

So by the way, this is the first poem of the Bible. It is the first song of the Bible. It is a macho song, you know. It's a … "I'm tough" kind of a song. “I did it my way”—that kind of a song. He's like a mafia boss. He says, “Bin Gor Yok Ngor, Ngor Zao Sat Hoi" [Cantonese dialect]—whoever touches me I'll kill him. That's Lamech's boast! And for his whole life, this is the one thing that is recorded about him—pure arrogance, hubris, pride, defiance.

And I say, this is not just a defiance or arrogance before men. It is arrogance and defiance before God. You say, why? Because he … he says, "If Cain's revenge is seven-fold, then Lamech's is seventy- sevenfold.” You remember what God said? “God said to Cain, if anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him seven-fold.” [Gen 4:15] Severe punishment! But Lamech is saying, “Oh, I know what God said to my great, great, great grandfather. God will only deal with him sevenfold, but I will revenge seventy-sevenfold. I'm going to outdo God.” You see, he has a very low view of God.

So you've got to sort of read the details in this passage, to see that whilst this community has progressed in terms of posterity and prosperity, and progress in the arts, it ultimately stands as a community of rebellion against God. Hates God, defies God, is arrogant before God. And it is so sad that they are so angry with God.

When actually if we go back to Genesis, we realize it is never God's fault. It is sin. It is Cain's own rebellion against God. It's so tragic! That it is now twisted, as if God owes them something. God is unjust to them. No! It's because we have sinned against God. They should have realized that.

You know, it reminds me of when I was young. I was a mean, mean brother. I … I needed money, because I wanted to buy a toy. I have not eaten during my recess time, saved up money, but the toy I wanted to buy is just too expensive, and so I needed to find ways to get money. I cheat my friends playing cards, eraser, whatever, but still not enough.

So I got to cheat my sister. I got this pencil box and I let her play a little bit with it. And when she fiddled with it, I said, “Ha, now you see this … this device is loose, it's useless, you've got to pay me.” And I gave her an exorbitant price, as she's young, she doesn't know any better. She was struggling. She was crying.

And then my father came and my father asked what's happening and my sister complained to my father about how “kor kor” [older brother in Hokkien dialect] is cheating her and … and abusing her. And my father scolded me. And I looked at my father and I was angry with him. With tears in my eyes, I say, “You're wrong! You're wrong!” But actually I know in my heart is … I'm the one who's wrong.

But you see, that's how twisted I was, that when I wanted something so bad that when I'm found out, I vented my anger on my dad. I didn't want to talk to him. But clearly it's my fault! It's the same for this family, under Cain's line. They were angry with God with no good reason. It was clearly their fault.

Now when you look at a passage like this, I know this is like ancient, right? This is like thousands of years ago. Their names—we can't even pronounce properly. But it's not very different because the … the world we live in is unreasonably and tragically angry with God.

Oh yes, we live in a world that is very advanced; we have Wi-Fi, we have 5G coming up, we have AI. We have all kinds of advance and progress. The world seems to be getting better, but then you must realize this is a world that stands in rebellion and defiance against God. We have atheism—that's probably the greatest faith in Singapore today; it's not Taoism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity.

The greatest faith, I think in our land is probably atheism. And atheism is saying in God's face, “There is no God.” We see it in our textbooks. We see it in all the scientific things around us, but it's actually a philosophy of defiance against God. We talk about moral relativism, that is to say that there is no such thing as right and wrong. God has no right, there's no such thing as God, and therefore there is no such thing as absolute right and wrong. But these are philosophies that are actually anti-God.

And you can go on and on, secularism that is this treating the things of this world as the ultimate things of this world, in life. They all stand as anti-God, defiance. So this is the world that Cain's family has ended up with. Yes, progress, but willfulness. And if you think about it, ultimately worthlessness.

I mean they were the inventors of stuff, not inventors, but the pioneers of these arts and skills. But it's ultimately worthless, because this community has not found the solution for sin, has not found the solution to free them from guilt and shame and fear, which Adam and Eve struggled with. They have not found a way to reverse the curse that God has pronounced upon this world. And they have certainly not found a way to be reconciled with God.

So they can advance in all these things, but ultimately, their lives will be worthless, if they are not cured of guilt, shame and fear, and if they're not brought back to a loving relationship with God. That's their life!

Last year, 2019, I read about this article about in Asia One, about someone saying that the 5Cs of Singapore have changed. The original 5Cs that I grew up with were: cash, car, credit card, condo … The last one is so unpopular now, you don't even remember. The last one? Country Club, right? Nowadays is because you have your condo facilities, you're not so ‘gian’ [covet in Hokkien dialect] about the country club. Maybe, I'm not sure. But those were the 5Cs.

But last year, there was an article that says, now Singaporeans don't really want the 5Cs anymore. I mean the old 5Cs anymore, but they still want 5Cs and what are the new 5Cs? Well, in a recent survey commissioned by a certain website, white colored or white-collar workers were polled and surveyed with regards to what they really want. And they ranked these 5 to be their top most priorities: cash, career, cultural proficiency, credibility and convenience. I'm not sure how you can call … call this 5Cs. But there you go, the 5Cs.

And that's the way most people think, “If have these 5 things, I have a good life, I'm successful. My life is worth it!” Now, whether you subscribed to these 5 or not, this is the question that I'm confronted with—is this really what life is all about? Because it sure seems very different from what Jesus said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul.” [Matt 16:26] I mean, this is such a stark contrast.

You ask an average guy on the street and he will tell you life is about holidays and money and career and stuff like that. But Jesus says, “So what? So what if you have everything? So what if you own every car, every condo, every building, every dollar! So what! If you have all these things, but you lose your soul, they are ultimately worthless.”

Do you know what this statement is saying? What Jesus is saying? He's saying, “All these things that Singaporeans look for, they are ultimately what ….? Worthless.” “Wah, pastor you're so severe! You say cash worthless ah, then give me yours lah. You say career worthless ah, then we quit our jobs lah. Are they really worthless? I don't believe they're worthless,” you say.

But let me put it this way—brushing your teeth is not worthless, correct? Brushing teeth is not worthless. It's useful. But if your whole life is about brushing teeth, then your life is worthless. Do you know what I'm saying? Brushing teeth is good, but if your whole life is all about how to brush the teeth the best way—experiment here, experiment what toothpaste—whole life, from wake-up morning to night, just brush teeth. Is that … is that satisfying? Is that what your life is all about?

And when you die and stand before God you say, “God, I'm an expert at tooth brushing.” Would you be happy? No, you wouldn't! Because you know, you had a wasted life. Brushing teeth is good, but if your life is all about brushing teeth, your life is worthless. Eating is good, but if your whole life is about eating, it's worthless. Holiday has its purpose, but if your whole life is about holiday, it is worthless. Earning money is necessary, but if your whole life is about earning cash, your life is worthless.

And it's the same for your career, for your family and with all that you do. Even if you get your whole world, but you lose your soul, what's the use? Even if you were the pioneers of arts and music, even if you're a politician but you lose your soul, what's the purpose?

So we see this community of Cain, seemingly successful, but ultimately willful and ultimately worthless. And I just want to apply this to society today. I just want to think about our country today, isn't it? We are a prosperous nation. I mean look at this picture. It's like, wow! Singapore is quite amazing! Is it? Or is this just a mirage? Is this just an illusion?

And I say, we as the followers of Jesus Christ living in this land, have a responsibility to pray for our nation. Wah! Yea! We pray for economic development, we pray for political stability. I'm not saying you don't pray for these things. I'm not saying it's sinful to prepare for these things. But why? Even if we advance economically in every way, but we do not know God, it is like Cain's family.

And I think we need to pray for our nation for more to come to know the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why we pray for our nation. Not for social, physical, cultural advancement—I mean, not wrong in and of themselves, but spiritual enlightenment and blessing. That's what we should pray for.

And I hope that as a church, we will remain focused on this because what people need today is not stuff, is not goods, is not money—it's God. That's what people need! And I hope that as a church, we will stay focused on the ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because we live in a day and age where people actually, I think, are more aware of charity. There's a lot of it going on in the world, even amongst non-Christians. There's a growing awareness of philanthropy, a desire to help the poor, and I think the people of God must be generous and must help the poor. But that is not the main mission of the church. I know I'm not going to be very popular for saying that, but I think it is absolutely true that our priority has to be making disciples of Jesus Christ.

You know, Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you.” You will never eradicate poverty in this world. And while we must not be tight fisted and stingy when poor, when the poor need help, I don't think the church should be sidetracked from the spiritual mission of making disciples and preaching the Gospel into pure, social, charity work.

And I think the Church of Jesus Christ must be also very careful not to be sidetracked into politics. It seems like politics is a growing passion amongst people. Whether it's Singapore or America, people are very absorbed with politics. And … and in America, I think it's a lot more intertwined, that churches become platforms, for politicking, for politics and so on. But I think we as a church must be focused because so what if you have great politics, but you do not have the Gospel and people are not led to God.

I think this is applicable also for your homes. I think as parents we are very aware of the physical needs of our children. We make sure they eat well. We … we … we … we have balanced diet. We cook well. We make sure you must eat more, you must eat more. And we make sure our kids study well. Wah, PSLE, ‘piah’ [to work hard in Hokkien dialect] and chiong! [to rush in Hokkien dialect].

I just went through that this year, piah and chiong. Wah, pressure the kid! Make sure he studies well, because you need to get a good PSLE grade so that he can get to a good school, and then get a good career and his life will be set, just like Cain. Is that what you want? No, but it so often how we raise our children.

I think good parenting requires a centrality on the Gospel—making space for what matters most. Most of us parent our kids in such a way that there is no space for what matters most. Because from morning to night, from Monday to Sunday, it's study and study and study, CCA and CCA and CCA. “Don't go to church, it's exam time.” Skip the sermon, skip the service. “Daddy and mommy too busy out there earning a living to read the Bible with you. You … you can skip it for this week.”

Oh no; good Gospel parenting requires making space. Space won't come by itself one lah! You have to create. You have to create space for what matters most. And what matters most—knowing God through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That's what it matters.

So I've spoken a lot, but I hope you get a glimpse of the portrait of life apart from God, in the family line of Cain. That's a community in rebellion; it's a community that is anti-God. That's a community that looks good on the outside, but ultimately tragic and worthless.

But the narrative does not end here because it gives you a bright spark, in verse 25, “And Adam knew his wife again.” Now it's … it's like God mentions now, “She's going to bear a son and call his name Seth.” What's the meaning of the word, Seth? The word, Seth, or the name Seth means appointed. And it makes sense because the Bible continues to say, “For she said, 'God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel.'"

So Adam and Eve must have known sadly, that Cain killed the other son, Abel. And when God gave them another son, he said, “Ha, this is it! Seth must be the appointed one.” And this is the offspring that is spoken of here, the offspring, the descendant, and I think this offspring is not just any ordinary child, but this is an Offspring that is based on the Proto Evangelion.” Remember the first Gospel, the first promise of the Good News, the first promise of the Savior in Genesis 3:15.

It’s not an ordinary child, because it must be a child of promise. It must be the one through whom the Messiah will come and save the world. I know that this is not an ordinary child, but the special offspring because it is “instead of Abel” not “instead of Cain”.

Cain is the eldest one and if it is an ordinary child, they would have said, “instead of Cain”. But they know it is not an ordinary child, is the child of promise. And therefore it is not of Cain. Because Cain is a sinner, Cain is a hypocrite, Cain will not be the one, it was supposed to be Abel. But now that Abel has died, God has appointed another Seth.

So again, reminding you of the Proto Evangelion, the first promise of the Good News, and that is God saying to the devil, “That Eve will have an Offspring who will crush the devil's head.” [Gen 3:15] He will be the One to save men from sin. He will be the One who will unravel and defeat Satan and his ploys. So there will be an Offspring like this. And that Offspring is not Abel, now that he's dead. Is certainly not Cain that he is a sinner, but it will be Seth.

So Adam and Eve still believes the Proto Evangelion. Adam and Eve still looks to the coming of the Messiah, and they are filled with great hope when Seth is born. “And then Seth also has a son, and he called his name Enosh.” [Gen 4:26] The name Enosh simply means mortal man. Now that's very different from Lamech—the powerful one. This is a humble admission of who we really are.

Then I think there's something about Christians being humble people. So they … we have a proper estimation of who we are before God. We are no … no great people here. We are all sinners in need of grace. We are all frail and we die and that's what Seth understands, calling his son Enosh. And then in verse 26, “… at that time, people began to call upon the Name of the Lord.”

So now that you see verse 26, you will realize that Cain's family had nothing about worship—zero, anti-God. The silence is deafening over there. But here, we do not read Seth's line succeeding in anything, really. We did not read of them succeeding in agriculture, or … or … or animal husbandry, or anything else or mathematics. All we know is that they pioneered corporate worship. People began to call upon the Name of the Lord.

Cain's line—absolutely hate God, run away from God, the death of God. Seth's line—they called upon the Name of the Lord, because they know that God would send a Messiah to save them from their sin, to reverse guilt, shame and fear, to bring all the curse away, and to reconcile a sinful man to the Holy God.

Nothing very much here about Seth, but enough for us to think. What's your legacy? You can have 2 lines, 2 kinds of legacy. All of us living in this world will have some impact. And we'll leave something behind—what would you leave behind? The city of Enoch of rebellion? Or a people who will learn to call upon the Name of the Lord?

You know one day, everything will pass away. Noah and the flood—it will sweep every descendant of Cain away. You know all that they acquired, it's all gone with a flood. But Seth's line will continue through Noah, and ultimately to Jesus. What a picture this is about the legacy.

I end with a story of this man named, Max Jukes. Now this might be an urban legend, I'm not sure, very hard to verify. But it is true that this man lived; the stats, I can't verify the accuracy, but it is said that Max Jukes—he's a man who lived in New York in the 1700s—the reason why he came up is because one day some years later, people looked at the prisoners in the New York prison, and found that 42 different men had their heritage traced back to the ancestor, Max Jukes.

And there's this sociologist in the 1800s, who then went in depth to study this man, and found out that in his family line, he had 1026 descendants—grandchildren, great grandchildren, and so on. And from which they realize 300 died prematurely, 100 were sent to the penitentiary for an average of 13 years each, 190 were public prostitutes and a 100 were drunkards. In other words, not a very happy family, not a very happy camper.

And then they contrast with another man, who lived in New York, about the time of Max Jukes and traced his descendants. And this is what they found out: out of his 729 descendants, there were 300 preachers, 65 college professors, 13 university presidents, 60 authors of good books, 3 US congressmen, 1 VP or Vice President of the United States, and barring 1 grandson who married a questionable character, the family has not cost the state a single dollar. In other words, never been thrown into prison and so on and so forth.

You know who he is? I thought this is quite a well-known story. Well, this man is none other than the greatest pastor who has ever lived, apart from Jesus, apart from Apostle Paul, according to many people. His name is Jonathan Edwards.

Well, Jonathan Edwards is of course, an extremely intelligent man. But more than that, it is said that he had 11 children, but he will spend an hour every day to teach and to pray over his children about the Gospel.

Now I know that it's … there are too many confounding factors in studying the effects of … of a parent's life. I hope you take it with a right balance, but I think it illustrates the point. The point is really this—these contrasting legacies provide an example of what some call the five-generation rule. “How a parent raises their child influences not only their children but the four generations to follow, either for good or evil.” And if someone studied your descendants four generations later, what would you want them to discover?

Hey, you have a choice—life of Cain, the life of Seth? Pouring your life in all that this world has, or learning to be a people who will call upon the Name of the Lord? It's your choice. It's your legacy. It's your life. But this is the blind spot, I think many people don't see and I hope we had a shoulder check today, and appreciate the message God has for you.

Let's bow for a word of prayer together. I pray this morning that you would hear the Word of God and be willing to humble yourself before him. Maybe your life revolve around success and achievements, and materials and wealth and fame. They are not worthless in and of themselves. But if your life is all about these things, then I can say, according to God's Word, your life is ultimately going to be worthless. Because Jesus says, “What profits a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?”

Ultimately, we all will stand before God one day, and only those who follow Jesus, who believe Him because He is the way the truth and the life to lead us to God—only those who are willing to deny themselves of the things of this world, will they be able to save their souls. This is what it means to believe Jesus, this is what it means to follow Jesus, that we see His extreme, supreme worth, and are willing to give up the lusts and the lures of this life.

It seems difficult, there is a sacrifice, but it will ultimately be worth it. Because Jesus is that promised Offspring who will defeat Satan and save us from your sin. My friend this morning, would you today humble yourself, repent and come to God through Jesus Christ, His Son? I pray you will believe in Him that you might be saved.

I speak also to my brothers and sisters in Christ, to the church. What kind of legacy are you really living for today? Do you really want to build a name for yourself like Irad, Enoch? Do you really think that life is about how high you climb in your corporate ladder? How much money you have in your bank? Do you really think life is only about how many children or grandchildren you have? What kind of legacy would you want to leave behind?

Would we pray for our nation? Would we pray for our church that we will remain focus on the Gospel, to be leading generations into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ? May we be immovable from this clear commission from Jesus.

Father, we thank You this morning for Your Word. Bless each one. Thank You for this wake-up call, for this reminder in Your Word. May Your Spirit draw many closer to Yourself. May we all realize, life is futile without You, and may we learn to be wise unto salvation. Thank You. We pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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