1. “Accepted” in Heb. “lifted up” -- response to God’s question about why his countenance had fallen. If he did good his countenance would be “lifted.”
2. In the Hebrew you don’t find the words "do" explicit in the text. Text is lit. “you are good” or “you are not good.” This could refer to what you do or your character.
3. We often won’t accept service to God as this simple.

• Past mistakes - “Can’t make up for them.” Right but blood of Jesus can. Turning to Him is “doing well.” (I Timothy 1:12-14).
• Rough background - “Can’t do what’s right!” Makes it hard but not impossible.
• Too simple - “Why would the God of the universe care about how I live?” He is our creator! He sets the terms. (Micah 6:8).

II. “If you do not do well, sin lies at the door”

Sin here is referred to in a personified expression (i.e. an object or thing spoken of as if it were a person). Sin doesn’t really “lie” about waiting. This is simply a way to express how easy it is to allow it into our lives. The point is...

1. Sin is always “Right Here” close at hand. (Illustration: Ella - my dog waiting at the backdoor to get in. Little opening - zoom - she is in!).
   1. This personification can be extended to a real person - Satan (II Peter 5:8,9).
   2. Sometimes we worry about sin “over there” when we ought to worry about it right here (point down) and right here (point to heart) (cf. Matthew 7:3-5)
   3. Have you ever looked at someone who has fallen away and said “they are the last person I would have thought would do that!” -- Just mean that’s not how they behave. I hope this doesn’t reveal a problem we may have of forgetting that sin is always “right here.” Example of Cain: Religious person, talked with God -- worshiped God -- a rebel, a murderer. He let sin through the door.
2. Verb “lies” Heb. robets is linguistically related to the name the Assyrians used in their mythology for a “door-demon” (Keil & Deilitsch) called R’bitsu.
3. Someone else is also “right here” close at hand.
   1. Jesus. (Revelation 3:20).
   2. God. (Matthew 7:7,8).
      The challenge (like Let’s Make a Deal) is to pick the right door to open and let the right guest come through the door!

III. “Its desire is for you”

This is an odd way to express this (from our way of looking at things). At least two possibilities:
1. Continued personification (i.e. that sin that is lurking outside the door desires to have us; or...
2. A Hebrew idiom expressing possession. “For” Heb. ’el lit.“to or towards.” Heb. sometimes uses a similar preposition to communicate when something belongs to someone (i.e. its desire belongs to you -i.e. you want to do it).

1. Personification -- Sin by its very nature wants more victims! (Romans 6:16-18).
2. Idiom -- Desire is the root of all sin! (James 1:12-15).

IV. “You should rule over it.” NASB - “you must master it”

1. It is possible to “rule over” sin.
   There are some powerful points that this very statement makes about our relationship to God and to sin: 1. God would not tell us we should (or must) do what we can not do (e.g. If I told my nine year old son “Nathan be 6'5" by tonight!”). 2. If it is possible to rule over sin, we can not have a nature that is “wholly inclined towards sin!” (i.e. the false doctrine of total depravity taught in the religious world).

   Example of disciples: (Matthew 26:41). Note: They were weak -- but Jesus says “watch.”

2. Sin will master us, if we allow it to.
   1. Satan seeks to rule us. (II Timothy 2:24-26).
   2. Sin can “lead” us away. (II Timothy 3:5,6).
   3. We can “serve” sin. (Titus 3:3).
3. We “must” master it!
   Sometimes “must” means different things...

• Sometimes it is what can only happen (e.g. “time must go forward”).
• Sometimes it is what ought to happen (e.g. “I must finish my homework tonight”).
• Sometimes it tells us that the alternative is simply too horrible to even consider as a possibility (e.g. “I must eat -- or I’ll starve and die”).

1. In this text God does not use the most forceful command that He could have (i.e. an imperative form), instead he communicates that which “may, could, should, is wished or is supposed to be” (“Imperfect,” Greenberg p. 49).
2. Ruling over sin is the way it is supposed to be. The problem is we just don’t do it! (I John 3:6,9; 5:18).