03.29.2026. Sunday Sermon
Rev. Lee Jeungbok
Text: Genesis 4:16–24
Title: The City of Man and Culture/Civilization
Genesis 4:16–24
So Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Cain had relations with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and named the city Enoch, after the name of his son. Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech. Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah. Adah gave birth to 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. As for Zillah, she also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, listen to my voice; You wives of Lamech, give heed to my speech, For I have killed a man for wounding me; And a boy for striking me; If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
The passage of Genesis 4:16–24 deals with the genealogy of Cain, the first murderer in human history, who settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden, and established his lineage. Today’s message will preach on how fallen humanity, having departed from God, built their own city and developed culture/civilization, and how those who belong to the City of God (the Church) should live within such culture/civilization.
1. All people live in one of two kinds of cities.
The Bible presents two contrasting cities. One is the City of God, designed and ruled by God; the other is the city of man, built by humans for their own safety and glory.
The concept of the City of God and the city of man was explained in detail by the early Church Father Augustine in his book The City of God.
The City of God was written around A.D. 410, when the Germanic Visigoths attacked and plundered Rome. At that time, people believed that “Rome is eternal.” However, as they saw Rome gradually collapsing, people slandered Christianity, saying that the empire was falling because they had abandoned the old gods and believed in Christianity. Augustine explained this historical reality through two streams of human history. One is the city of man, which, like Rome, is destined to perish; the other is the City of God, which possesses eternal life. These two cities are not merely physical locations but represent two kinds of lives and communities.
1.1) The City of God.
The defining characteristic of the City of God is that God is enthroned as King and is the center. The people living in this city live with humility and obedience, looking toward the eternal kingdom.
Simply put, it is the city to which the community that worships God belongs. This city is not yet visible but ultimately is the New Jerusalem in heaven. When our Lord returns, it will come upon this earth. Then all people of faith will live eternally in the New Jerusalem, that is, the City of God.
1.2) The city of man.
The city of man begins with the city of Enoch built by Cain and reaches its peak in the Tower of Babel. The city of man excludes God and places humans at the center. Its defining feature is self-centered love—that is, human desire. It pursues power, honor, and pleasure for itself. The city of man, which represents the pinnacle of human-centeredness, will ultimately perish like Rome. Opposite the New Jerusalem, the City of God, stands Babylon, the city of man. On the last day, through final judgment, God will completely destroy Babylon, the city of man, and remove it forever from this world (Rev. 14:8; 18:21).
1.3) In summary, the city of man is built by those who love themselves, while the City of God is built by those who love God.
If we ask where these cities are and who lives in them, the answer is that these are not geographical places but are revealed by one’s values and direction in life.
Even if someone, like Cain, knows God and offers sacrifices to Him, if his life is not centered on God, then he belongs not to the City of God but to the city of man. Those who live according to the values of that city will ultimately perish. Therefore, we must not distinguish between those who live in the City of God and those who live in the city of man by outward appearances. Clearly, although Cain spoke with God and offered worship, he lived only for himself, building a city of man to protect himself.
Therefore, simply attending church where God is present is not proof that a person lives in the City of God. Only those who love God and live God-centered lives belong to the City of God.
2. Those who leave God always build the city of man. (4:16–17)
2.1) Cain “went out from the presence of the LORD” and settled in the land of Nod, where he built a city. The name Nod means “wandering.” Ironically, Cain, who had been punished to be a wanderer, built a city in the land of wandering to protect himself and settle down. This is the common pattern of those who leave God.
Cain built the city of Enoch for himself. After the flood, humanity built the Tower of Babel (a city). Thereafter, many nations and peoples built cities of man for themselves. Even Rome, which lasted a thousand years, fell. Any city built by those who leave God for their own sake will surely fall.
2.2) Cain’s construction of the city of Enoch meant that the Garden of Eden, where God was, was no longer a home to which he would return.
In order to restore his relationship with God, Cain should have returned to Eden where God dwelled. However, Cain gave up restoring his relationship with God and instead chose to live forever in the city of Enoch that he built. Instead of finding rest in God’s dwelling, he chose to find rest in the city of man that he created.
2.3) Cain named the city Enoch, after his son. Naming the city after his son reflects his desire to display his own glory. Human beings were created to receive affirmation from God. But because Cain left God, he now had to satisfy that desire for recognition by himself. Through his son’s name, he sought to display his own glory.
Yet paradoxically, those who build strong cities for themselves all fail. Therefore, beloved saints, do not strive to build strong defenses for yourselves, but rather be diligent in glorifying God.
Let me share an interesting example: the Skyscraper Index. It is the idea that when the world’s tallest buildings are completed, economic crises often follow.
USA: Empire State Building (completed in 1931) – Great Depression (1929–1939); it was nicknamed the “Empty State Building” due to lack of tenants.
Malaysia: Petronas Towers (1998) – Asian Financial Crisis.
Dubai: Burj Khalifa (2010) – Global Financial Crisis and national debt crisis.
China: Rapid construction of skyscrapers in Shanghai, Shenzhen, etc. – rising unemployment and ongoing economic slowdown.
Applying this to today’s message, when humans try to exalt themselves with excessive confidence, the monument they ultimately build will collapse.
3. The development of culture/civilization began in the city of man established by Cain.
3.1) Christians often misunderstand, thinking that the development of culture/civilization began first with God’s people. However, most cultural and civilizational developments begin centered on humans rather than on God.
Cain’s descendants began developing culture/civilization for themselves. Among his descendants, Jabal pursued economic prosperity through extensive livestock raising. Jubal created the lyre and pipe, allowing people to enjoy the culture of music. Tubal-cain made tools of bronze and iron, contributing to agriculture and industry.
However, we must remember this: their achievements were possible because of God’s common grace given to all people. Through the wisdom granted by God’s common grace, they were able to develop tools and instruments through their own efforts. Therefore, it is common for those living in the city of man to advance further in culture/civilization than those in the City of God.
But there is a fatal problem: it is the development of culture/civilization without God. Thus, their cultural prosperity tragically leads them further away from God, revealing greater evil.
3.2) Although culture/civilization developed among Cain’s descendants, it was not inherently evil from the beginning. Culture becomes evil because of the people who use it.
For example, making tools from bronze and iron is beneficial for farming and daily life. However, it was Lamech, an evil man, who used such tools to kill others.
Similarly, nuclear energy began from pure curiosity, aiming to produce enormous energy from small amounts of fuel, and it is still used that way. But it was also humans who created atomic bombs to win wars and threaten enemies—and those bombs killed countless people.
My hometown is Cheongju. It is about a 30-minute drive from the city center. Until I was in middle school, no one in my village had died from a traffic accident. But after the road in front of our village was paved and traffic increased, accidents began to occur. A friend’s mother died in a traffic accident.
Automobile culture is extremely convenient. But when a driver drinks alcohol and drives, the car becomes a tool that kills.
3.3) Even though culture/civilization began in the city of man, those who live in the City of God must use it to glorify God.
We who live in the 21st century must wisely accept culture/civilization and use it in ways that please God. That is the role of God’s people in this age.
When I was in college, there was a severe conflict in a church between young adults and elders. Although I did not attend that church, it was a major incident known among all college students in the city. The conflict arose because the young people wanted to sing gospel songs with guitars during Sunday worship, while the elders strictly prohibited guitars and gospel songs in the main service. The young people went ahead anyway, and the elders excommunicated them.
The elders failed to accept the changing culture of music. But today, all churches use gospel songs and guitars in Sunday worship.
4. There are always those who misuse culture/civilization for evil.
4.1) Lamech broke the marriage order established by God. Genesis 2:24 says, “A man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
However, “Lamech took two wives” (Gen. 4:19). Instead of becoming one flesh with one woman, he took two wives according to his own desires. Thus, a corrupt culture of marrying whomever one desires entered the world.
This is significant because, over time, even the godly descendants of Seth were influenced by this culture. By the time of Noah, people were marrying whomever they desired. The sons of God married the daughters of men, and the families of God’s people disappeared. Only Noah’s family remained as God’s people, and only Noah’s family was saved from the flood judgment.
Therefore, I earnestly bless in the name of the Lord that the young people of our church will form godly families through marriage. Only then can godly faith be passed down. Young people must not stop praying to God for this.
4.2) Lamech is a representative figure who misused culture/civilization for his own desires. Genesis 4:23–24 says:
“Adah and Zillah, listen to my voice… I have killed a man for wounding me… If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
Lamech used tools made by his descendants to kill a young man in revenge. What makes him truly evil is not only that he committed murder in revenge, but that he boasted of his murder by misusing God’s word.
God gave Cain a protective mark not to justify his sin but to prevent him from being killed in revenge, giving him an opportunity to repent. But Lamech abused God’s mercy to justify his murder and threatened even greater revenge against anyone who opposed him.
Because Lamech possessed great power, he justified and boasted about his violence. This is the way those who live in the city of man behave after leaving God.
4.3) However, we as God’s people must remain alert within our culture/civilization and use it wisely.
Cain’s descendants built cities for themselves and developed culture/civilization for their own sake. In contrast, Seth’s descendants built altars and called on the name of the LORD: “At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD” (Gen. 4:26).
The people of the City of God did not create culture for themselves but worshiped God and proclaimed His name in the world.
To “call upon the name of the LORD” means to publicly declare before others that the LORD is God. Although Seth’s descendants did not create their own culture, they lived with true satisfaction as God’s people.
Today, in the 21st century, we live in a highly advanced and technologically sophisticated culture far beyond Cain’s time. It is an age where we can do almost anything for ourselves—even from home. There are even robotic lawn mowers that automatically cut grass and return to recharge.
Therefore, as God’s people, we must be careful not to be swept away by a culture that pursues convenience for ourselves alone. This does not mean we must reject culture/civilization, but if we become immersed in its conveniences, we will fail to live as the people of the City of God, who love God and love their neighbors.
5. Finally, let us examine whether we are living in the City of God.
Am I building a city for myself like Cain? Or am I building an altar to God and calling upon His name?
What is the “wall” that I rely on today for my security? Is it God, or is it money in my bank account or pension?
Is the culture/civilization I enjoy today for God’s glory, or for my own satisfaction and convenience?
People build cities according to the values they pursue. They develop culture/civilization. But the city of man built on values that exclude God will ultimately collapse.
Therefore, we must become not a city built by man but the City (Kingdom) built by God. As those who live in the City of God, may we use all culture and civilization well, reveal God’s glory, and love our neighbors, thereby proving to the world that we are the people of the City of God.
Let us pray. (End)