Session 5

The First Murder

Genesis 4:1-15

ENGAGE

The most dangerous cities include:

Monroe, LA;
Memphis, TN;
Saginaw and Detroit, MI;
St. Louis, MO;
Alexandria, LA;
Pine Bluff and Little Rock, AR.

The safest cities include:

Frisco and McKinney, TX;
Santa Clarita and Sunnyvale and Glendale, CA;
McAllen, TX;
Cary, NC;
Plano, TX.

Ask:

• What makes a city safe or dangerous?
• Would you consider your city safe or dangerous? Why?

Review:

set the context for this lesson.

Sin has a way of spiraling from bad to worse. Such is the story of the first murder recorded in Scripture.
It’s a tragic portrait of sin’s escalation. God told Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit, but they chose to eat it anyway.
Later, God told Cain to avoid falling prey to sin, but Cain allowed sin to take control of his life anyway. He chose to give way to his anger and kill his brother.
Sin always involves a choice.
The escalation of sin continued throughout the Old Testament narrative, illustrating over and over humanity’s need for salvation from sin’s grip and penalty.

Talk about things people are interested in because of someone they love.

Point out the summary statement for this session:
Dishonoring God leads to contempt for His creation.

Ask:

• How does dishonoring God lead to contempt for His creation?

Transition:

Today, we will examine the first murder, as recorded in the Bible.

EXPLORE THE TEXT