Raising Cain

Two brothers. Two altars. Two very different hearts.

In Raising Cain, Pastor Zach Terry unpacks the tragic story of Cain and Abel—a tale of worship, warning, and the war within every human heart. What begins with the first birth ends with the first murder… and in between, we find insights about parenting, sacrifice, sin, and the gospel.

Why did God accept one offering but reject the other? What does your countenance reveal about your soul? And how does the blood of Jesus speak a better word than the blood of Abel?

You’ll explore:

🪵 Why Adam and Eve were driven from Eden—and how a flaming sword points to the cost of re-entry

👶 What Cain’s birth meant to Eve—and why her hope was misplaced

🌾 Why God favored Abel’s offering over Cain’s—and what New Testament authors reveal about both

🧠 How worship exposes the heart—and why faith, not form, is what God honors

🫣 What Cain’s reaction teaches us about anger, entitlement, and rejection

🧍‍♂️ Insights for parents—from God’s patient confrontation to personal responsibility

🔍 Why countenance reveals the heart—and how God uses questions to reach the soul

🚪 How sin crouches at the door—and why we must either rule over it or be ruled by it

🩸 Why Abel’s blood cried out for justice—and how Christ’s blood now cries out for mercy

⚖️ What it means that Jesus is our better sacrifice—and how His blood silences every voice of condemnation

This message will help you understand the nature of sin, the heart of worship, and the power of Christ’s blood to speak a better word over your life. You don’t have to go the way of Cain. You can offer the sacrifice of Abel.

📌 Keywords: Genesis 4 sermon, Cain and Abel, raising Cain, acceptable worship, parenting lessons, way of Cain, first murder, faith vs religion, gospel in Genesis, Pastor Zach Terry, sin crouching at the door, blood that speaks, mercy seat, better sacrifice, Hebrews 12:24