January 2 – Reading 2

January 2 – Reading 2

by Rev James M. Armpriester, Jr | January 2

“MY BROTHER’S KEEPER”
(Genesis 4:1-5:32; 1 Chronicles 1:1-4; Genesis 6:1-8)

I have heard many sermons in my life. I grew up in church, listening to my father preach every Sunday morning and evening, and Wednesday evening. When I got to Evangel University, I had chapel services five times a week. Of course, over the last 30 years of ministry, I have prepared over a thousand five hundred sermons myself. Even so, I can remember only a handful of sermons in detail.

In 1983, my roommate, Kent Brunner, was given the opportunity to speak at one of our chapel services at Evangel University. To my knowledge, this was the only sermon Kent ever preached. After Evangel, he went to a veterinarian school in Oklahoma and is a practicing small animal veterinarian in Georgia today.

His sermon was titled, “Are you your brother’s keeper?” His premise was that if Cain had a right perspective of what it meant to be a loving brother, he would not have been jealous of Abel, nor would he have entertained harming him. He would have celebrated his brother’s success and emulated his sacrifice. He would have protected Abel rather than striking him down in anger. Kent challenged us as a student body to live as brothers in Christ, profoundly loving one another. As brothers, we are not in competition for God’s favor, but rather, we are to learn from one another how to please our Father in heaven. He challenged us to embrace the teaching of Jesus and consider others better than ourselves. He surmised that this other’s first thinking would protect us from the misery of jealousy and the many sins it promotes.

Cain was not his brother’s keeper. He was his brother’s killer. Not only did he take his brother’s life, but he lost any hope for an abundant life for himself. Ironically, by putting himself first, Cain lived outside of God’s favor and in fear of his own family.

Today, as I look back on this message, I see its impact on my life and how it has shaped my destiny. In response, I chose to be my brother’s keeper. This decision ultimately allowed me to leave a career as a molecular biologist and serve as a minister of the Gospel. My life focus is helping others experience Spirit-empowered transformation and celebrating the success that comes from confirmation of Jesus’s character. The key to my life is seeing others succeed in their relationship with God and with each other.

I pray for you to discover the power of being your brother’s keeper.

Reflection and Application:

• How does our desire for affirmation keep us from experiencing true community?

• When we truly focus on the care and concerns of others above our own needs, we become like Jesus in His character.  Besides jealousy, what other sins do we avoid?  What fruit of the Spirit are now in play?

• What warning from the Lord do we need to heed, so that we may be found acceptable and approved?

Prayer:  

“Lord, I understand the importance of looking out for my brother. Please help me to be aware of the needs of others and to prioritize their need for acceptance and affirmation over my own needs and desires. Develop my character to be like Jesus, so that I may be pleasing to my father in heaven and protected from the destruction that sin brings when I am self-focused. Teach me to love deeply and to make a difference in the lives of those I encounter.”