.  Living Hope Fellowship Church....Sermons by the Pastor 

CAIN’S OFFERING

by Pastor Kevin Badgley

            God told Cain in Genesis 4:7, “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. . . .”  Hebrews 11:4 says, “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts. . . .”

            God has given to all men a measure of faith, and every soul chooses what they will do with their measure.  Satan tries to get you to use your measure of faith for vanity, which will keep a man away from the things of God.  When a man has faith in the wrong thing he will go to hell.  Some say that it doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you are sincere.  Hogwash.  You can be sincerely wrong and go to hell!

             Romans 10:8-10 says, “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  These scriptures have been used by some to devise wrong doctrine. 

            Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  There is a false doctrine that promotes:  You repeat the words enough, and you will receive what is said in those words.  That is backwards.  They say if you say it enough, you will believe it.  This doctrine operates out of the desire of man's heart, not God's will.

            2 Corinthians 4:13 says, “We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;”  This teaches that we are to believe FIRST, and then we are to speak and confess that a thing is so. 

            Matthew 6:7 says, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”

            These people confess, confess, confess.  They think God will answer them according to their much speaking, and they will get what they want.  This is a work of the flesh.  Galatians 5:19-21 says, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

            Emulations are copyings.  They appear to be of God, but they are not.  It is a form of religion, claiming parts of the Bible!  The Word of God says that the just shall live by faith.  We are justified by faith. 

            I have encountered people in the name and claim doctrine who live like the devil, and their excuse is, God is not finished with me yet.  They confess (say) that they are like Jesus, and they think they are going to heaven.

            These people reach for the promises and power of God without ever obtaining salvation!  They should dig in the Word of God and pull out a GOOD confession (see 1 Timothy 6:13), so that when they confess certain things, it will come to pass in their lives, and they will have what they speak.

            John 6:44 says, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”  You can’t get saved just any time you want to.  The Spirit of God must draw you, convicting you.

            When you got saved and came to the altar, you were miserable and wretched, and you loved the Lord.  You understood by the Spirit of God what took place, and you wanted to be saved and make heaven your home.  You carried out an act of faith, and yielded, and you got saved.  In your heart you believed God.  It was a heart felt salvation, not a head experience.

            In some places people only say, God receive me, and they think they are saved, without tears or repentance.  They are in a doctrine that makes it easier to get saved, an easy gospel.  Jesus DIED for us.  The gospel of Jesus Christ is not an easy gospel. 

            You can’t spout scriptures to make God move.  Psalm 51:17 says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”  Act on Christ's sacrifice, a broken spirit.  The only sacrifice that God accepts is a broken spirit.  In the Old Testament the sacrifices were laid on the altar, and broken, and burned.

            The sacrifices were broken.  When the spirit is broken the body is dead.  The body without the spirit is dead.  When you die (to self), Jesus is alive in you.  You are born again at the point of salvation.  Before you live for Jesus, you are living for your father the devil!  When your spirit is broken, the union of you and the devil is broken.  Now you and God are a union.  Immediately you have a place in heaven.  The most difficult thing a man can do is to yield over his pride, but God demands it. 

            I saw a lady who wanted free from alcohol but not from lust.  God wants ALL the sin out.  You have to have a broken spirit before Jesus can enter in.  A basic for salvation is a broken spirit.  False doctrine doesn't demand a broken spirit.  People say, You’re judging me.  Churches are full of sinning people who look like they are praising the Lord, but Mark 7:7 tells us that it is possible to worship God in vain.  They are living a lie, not going God's way.  False doctrine does not require holiness or repentance.  It requires nothing but confession, and it has bred powerful hypocrites.

            2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 says, “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”  False docrine is of an antichrist spirit.

            Matthew 7:22-23 says, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”  Many will come on judgment day and tell what they have done in Jesus’ name, but He will say He does not know them! 

            The fruits of the Spirit are listed in Galatians 5:22-23.  Galatians 5:24-25 says, “And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” 

            If you are still in bondage, the devil is hindering you, and you are not free.  In John 8:34 Jesus said, “. . . Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.”  Romans 6:16 says, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

            You may be saved, but you do not have AUTOMATIC anointing.  Some will confess, confess, confess, but they have no power.  Incantation leads to rituals of magic.  It is a counterfeit to the things of God. 

            Those with itching ears will fall for false doctrines of various kinds.  False prophets and preachers put out a permeating gospel of vain words, having people slain out, but with lying wonders (see 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 1 Timothy 4:1, and 1 John 4:1-3).  It is the work of a religious spirit. 

            The seven sons of Sceva confessed Jesus to the devil possessed man.  The devil knew Jesus and Paul, but not them.  They left wounded and naked.  They confessed with the mouth, but they were not saved in their heart.

            False doctrine people are confident in their God.  A deceiving devil will say you are all right. 

            If you confess one thing and are another, you are a liar.  In John 9:41 Jesus said, “. . . If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.”  Let’s search our hearts and let God wash out everything unlike Him and His Word!