Closed Doors

And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door..., And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him Genesis 4: 6-8.

Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me Revelations 3:20

We all know the story of Cain and Abel, and how Cain murdered his brother in cold blood. It was premeditated; he knew beforehand what he wanted to do and he put the plan into motion. As a result, Abel lay dead in the field of Cain’s rage.

But I believe that Cain killed Cain long before he killed Abel. Cain lived a life of closed doors and loneliness. He wandered aimlessly through life with no one to answer to but himself.

Life consist of living relationships; a willingness to open the doors of our life to others. When we let Jesus into our life, He helps us to open the doors to other people. He also gives us an open door to ourselves. You see, we need to understand ourselves better. As we are able to accept ourselves, then we can use whatever talents and abilities God gives us to glorify Him and help others.

Without an open door, we are left alone; on our own to face life without insight into what our life is all about. This creates isolation and insecurity. We feel as though no one loves us or wants us. Instead of a bridge to cross over and embrace others, we form a wall of separation.

Closed doors create unhealthy conditions in us. Each day seems like not worth living. Our inward man, who we really are, wastes away until we are too weak to smile, give love or receive love in return.

When we feel unwanted, unneeded and unnecessary, it is as though we are speed bumpers. Everybody is running over us. We hurt all the time.

We need to open the door. Jesus wants us to let Him in. He can help us with whatever it is that we are dealing with. He can show us which way to go and the choices we need to make. The obstacle that is too big for us, Jesus can help us move it. Then we can see things a lot better.

Modern life is fast paced and hectic. Most relationships are casual and rootless. I live in what I consider a nice neighborhood, but I don’t know many people personally. For many reasons, they turn me off. For the most part, I play it safe and mind my own business. Modern life encourages us to close the door to others.

God asked Cain, "Why are you angry?" Cain lived a life of closed doors. He didn’t understand himself, his family, or God. He didn’t know how to relate to people, so he ended up hurting them. When he met people, he closed the door. When God tried to soften his heart, he closed the door. When his parents said, "Cain, loosen up, get involved in life," he closed the door. Unfortunately, when we close the door on everybody, our life will eventually erode; because life consists of relationship between God, our family and others.

It is a wonder that Cain even attempted to offer a sacrifice at all, but he did. And predictably, he made a wrong sacrifice with wrong attitude. When we don’t know God, we cannot worship Him. "...for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Hebrews 11:6. It was not possible for Cain to offer a gift to God by faith, because faith opens the door.

Abel’s life was an open door. He knew exactly what God required of him, and that’s what he gave Him. God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and rejected Cain’s. And that made Cain angry.

Cain did not know himself at all. He did not know his own heart. He wasn’t aware of the rage building up in him. He didn’t know that sin was at the door threatening to destroy him. He could not understand that God was trying to help him, so he became defensive and closed the door.

No person needs to helplessly allow sin to dominate his or her lives. Open the door to Jesus. He will deliver you; He will set you free. He’s knocking.

God was willing to talk to Cain, and went so far as to warn him of the sin that was lying at the door. It wasn’t God’s desire for sin to master Cain or for Cain to murder his brother. But Cain did exactly what God warned him not do. He lured his brother into a field, murdered him, and didn’t know how to ask for forgiveness. Closed doors ruined Cain’s life. He didn’t trust anyone; not even God.

Adam and Eve likely taught Cain to believe God, but no matter how much you tell your children about Jesus, they have to exercise faith for themselves. These parents were ideal teachers; they knew firsthand what you can lose if you disobey God, and they knew that God will forgive you when you fail.

When those parents taught them, Abel opened the door and received it. He grew to know God for himself. But not Cain. He brought a sacrifice because he had no other choice. Cain hated Abel and hate closes doors. Not only does hate close doors, but it creates darkness in the soul. Whosoever hates his brother walks in darkness, and doesn’t know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes 1 John 2:9.

There is a great need today for integrity. Integrity means being honest with yourself and others; not being hypocritical. Cain was dishonest with himself because he lacked integrity. That’s why he saw others as the source of his problems instead of himself.

Cain never confesses his sin or seeks God for forgiveness. My punishment is more than I can bear Genesis 4:13 Instead, he blames God; "You are driving me from the land" (see verse 14). As he did so many times he in the past, he closes the door on himself. Instead of seeking God, he went out and built a city. He used his work to fill his needs, but he was still a terrible sinner.

People are the same way today. As long as they have a little money and a few things, they are satisfied. We can do whatever we want to do to compensate for closed doors, but it just won’t work. Just look around at all the lonely people. It all started with Cain.

Who do you blame for your problems? Do you blame others? God? Try looking in a mirror. You may find that your problems start within you.

By: Edmund Brown